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Portfolios allocated
By Our Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI, DEC. 6. The Delhi Chief Minister, Ms.Sheila Dikshit, today allocated portfolios to her new team taking away the Revenue Department from the Finance Minister, Mr. Mahinder Singh Saathi, Environment, Forest and Wildlife and Election from Dr. A.K. Walia, and splitting the Departments held by Dr. Narendra Nath, and distributing it to three Ministers. The exercise clearly left many Ministers unhappy and some even lodged a protest.
Among the newcomers, Mr. Ajay Maken and Mr. Haroon Yusuf, have got the best deal. According to the list issued by the Chief Minister's Office, Mr. Saathi will be the number two in the Cabinet and hold the charge of Finance and Planning Department. The coveted Revenue Department has been clubbed with Development and has been given to Mr. Haroon Yusuf, a move which is understood to have been strongly protested by Mr. Saathi. Similarly, the other retained Minister, Dr. A.K. Walia, has retained the Urban Development, Health and Family Welfare Departments. In addition, he gets Land and Building but has to shed Election, Environment, Forest and Wildlife.
Mr. Ajay Maken bags the most sought-after Transport, Power and Tourism Departments. Similarly, Mr. Haroon Yusuf, has landed up with Development, Revenue, Food and Supplies and Irrigation and Flood Control, the charge held by Dr. Yoganand Shastri. Mr. Deep Chand Bandhu, has been given Industries, Environment, Forest and Wildlife Departments, Employment, Labour and Elections. Mr. Raj Kumar Chauhan, has got Education, Training and Technical Education, Social Welfare, Welfare of SC/ST.
The Chief Minister has retained all the Departments held by her earlier including Water, Vigilance, Services, Public Relation, Law and Justice, Home, GAD and Administrative Reform. Political circles were agog with the talk of Mr. Bandhu having got the least important departments. But the Chief Minister said that a lot needs to be done in the Industries and a major exercise to re-locate units is already going to take place soon so an experienced hand like Mr. Bandhu would be a big asset.
Soon after the swearing-in ceremony, the Chief Minister held a Cabinet meeting of her new team and informed them about their portfolios. All the new Ministers today took charge of their offices at the Old Secretariat and at the Players Building. Mr. Maken said that he would try his best to live upto the faith reposed in him and said a lot of hard work awaited him in form of augmentation of the transport sector and privatisation of the power sector.
Similarly, Mr. Bandhu said he would try to address the problems of the people who have been dislocated and find out a solution. The new Industry Minister said that he would soon convene a meeting of the officials to apprise himself about the relocation work being done for polluting units at Bawana. Mr. Yusuf said his efforts would be to streamline the Public Distribution System and ensure that priority was given to rural development. He thanked the Chief Minister for giving the Revenue Department also which would ensure smooth functioning and effective implementation of various schemes.
Mr. Chauhan said his first effort would be to continue with the computerisation drive in all the government schools in the Capital. At the same time, new schemes would be worked out for the welfare of the SC and other weaker sections.
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