Telangana cabinet expansion likely after Sankranti festival

: The expansion of cabinet of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to take place after Sankranti in mid-January.

Rao took over as the Chief Minister for the second straight term on December 13 and Md Mehmood Ali was the only minister to take oath along with him. Ali has been given charge of the Home Department.

TRS sources indicated Monday that the cabinet expansion may take place after the Sankranti festival (on January 15).

Rao had told reporters that senior officials are working on proposals to merge certain departments which should be handled by a single minister.

"Agriculture Department is with one minister. Marketing minister is separate. Civil Supplies (minister) is someone else. All these things should be together," he had said.

The state government had earlier tried to bring education under one umbrella, he had said.

There is no hurry about the issue, he had said.

All the 31 districts and two more districts which are expected to come into existence in future may not have representation, he had said.

The state may have parliamentary secretaries, which is a training ground for young leaders, he had said.

Rao had also said the new Assembly has come into existence with the Election Commission having completed the necessary formalities for the purpose.

Those elected as MLAs have already become MLAs (though they have not taken oath as MLAs), he had said.

TRS returned to power with a massive majority of 88 seats in the 119-member House in the December seven Assembly elections.