Days after seven new ministers were inducted into the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government, portfolios were allotted to all of them on Wednesday. Former chief minister Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh, who is also the youngest in the Cabinet, has been given the charge of public works, youth and sports departments.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar distributed the portfolios on the advice of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, reported ANI.
The oldest member, 82-year-old Dhani Ram Shandil, was given the charge of the health and family welfare, social justice and empowerment and labour and employment departments. While Chander Kumar got agriculture and animal husbandry, Jagat Singh Negi was handed the portfolios of revenue, horticulture and tribal development.
Rohit Thakur will handle the higher education, elementary education and technical education portfolio while Anirudh Singh got rural development and Panchayati raj. Six-time legislator Harshwardhan Chauhan got the industries portfolio besides the parliamentary affairs and Ayush.
Sukhu has retained the finance, general administration, home, planning, personnel portfolios and all other departments not allotted to any minister, while there is no change in the departments of Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who was allotted the jal shakti, transport and language and arts and culture departments.
Meanwhile, chief minister Sukhu is all set to take up the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in its first cabinet meeting on Friday.
According to Harshwardhan Chauhan, the Finance Department has worked out a few options in this regard. "All these will be discussed and the most suitable option will be approved,” said Chauhan. The government is also likely to consider other poll promises, like granting Rs 1,500 per month to women aged 18-60 and generating one lakh employment opportunities for the youth.
A budgetary provision for the purpose had already been made, the chief minister said during a victory rally in Simla. This is despite worries about financial constraints. However, Chauhan said the implementation of the OPS would not put any immediate burden on the exchequer. "We will have to take a loan of Rs 1,000 crore each for the next three months to pay to government employees," he told reporters.
