Suresh Prabhu Monday took charge as the new railway minister, replacing D.V. Sadanand Gowda.
He was among the 21 ministers who took oath Sunday at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Prabhu, a qualified chartered accountant, returns to the union cabinet after having served in the previous NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
"I'll work towards making railways an important institution in the lives of people," the 61-year-old minister told mediapersons on assuming charge.
"Deeds should be more important than words," he added.
Prabhu, a former Shiv Sena leader, joined the BJP Sunday, just hours before he was sworn in as cabinet minister.
