President Pratibha Patil today accepted the resignation of Union Ministers Anbumani Ramadoss and R Velu, who stepped down after their party PMK in Tamil Nadu quit the UPA, and asked Minister of State Panabaka Lakshmi to look after the health department.
The President has accepted the resignation of Ramadoss as Health Minister and Velu as Minister of State for Railways, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said.
The President has asked Panabaka Lakshmi to look after the Health and Family Welfare Ministry as Minister of State with Independent charge, the spokesperson said.
Lakshmi had been serving as Minister of State in the Health Ministry.
Ramadoss and Velu had last evening resigned from the government, two days after their party decided to switch-over to AIADMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The PMK had said on Thursday it would join the AIADMK-led front in Tamil Nadu, accusing the ruling DMK in the state of "humiliating" its party cadres.