)
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik was sworn in as Chief Minister of Odisha, his fourth term in a row since 2000, by Governor S C Jamir in a glittering ceremony at Raj Bhawan premises here this morning.
Along with Patnaik, 21 other elected MLAs also took oath as ministers. As per constitutional provision, total number of ministers in any state should not exceed 15 per cent of total seat in the assembly. In case of Odisha, the number is fixed at 22, including the Chief Minister.
The new council of ministers included more new faces compared to the previous one as at least eight MLAs have been inducted in the ministry for the first time in their political career.
The council of ministers consists of 12 cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of state, compared with 13 cabinet minister and 8 ministers of state in the previous regime of BJD.
“We will work as a team for the prosperity and betterment of the people of Odisha,” said Patnaik after the oath taking ceremony. Patnaik was congratulated by Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi, who tweeted, “My congratulations to Shri Naveen Patnaik on being sworn in as Odisha CM. My best wishes & support for Odisha’s development journey”. In the afternoon, the portfolios were distributed to the ministers. Chief Minister Patnaik retained major departments such as general administration, home, works and water resources. The next person to take oath, the former speaker Pradip Amat has been given finance and public enterprise departments.
Bijayshree Routray, the BJD leader from north Odisha, was allotted the portfolio of revenue and disaster management and ex-health minister Damodar Rout will now act as cabinet minister for cooperation and excise. Badri Narayan Patra, who won from Ghasipura constituency with a record margin, has been appointed as rural development minister.
Similarly, Bikram Keshari Arukh, a BJD stalwart from chief minister’s home district Ganjam, has been put in charge of forest and environment department. Pushpendra Singhdeo, who was dropped from Naveen’s previous ministry under controversial circumstances, has been taken in as cabinet minister for urban development and housing.
While party veteran, Devi Prasad Mishra has been appointed as minister of industry, school and mass education, Pradeep Maharathy, who had to quit as the agriculture minister in the previous ministry following a rape and murder case in his constituency, Pipili, has been given the same portfolio in the new council.
Among others, first time minister, Jogendra Behera has been given charges of MSME and pension and grievance departments and Usha Devi, the lone cabinet rank woman minister, retained charges of women and child development department.
In the list of ministers of state (MoS), many young and new faces have been allotted key departments with independent charges.
Prafulla Mallick, senior MLA from Kamakhyanagar, has been entrusted with plump portfolios of steel and mines and labour. Similarly, tribal MLA, Ramesh Majhi will now head the commerce and transport departments as minister of state.
Jajpur MLA, Pranab Prakash Das, sworn in as an MoS, has been allotted energy and information and technology (IT) departments. While BJD youth leader, Sanjaya Dasburma has been given charge of food and civil supplies department, Sudam Marandi, who migrated from JMM to BJD on the eve of the polls, has been appointed as MoS for youth and sports department.
Among other freshers in the council of ministers, Ashok Panda has been given tourism culture portfolio and Snhehangini Churia, a newly elected MLA from western Odisha, will act as MoS for textile and handloom department.
