The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has been pleased to direct the following allocation of portfolios among the newly appointed members of the Union Council of Ministers:-

CABINET MINISTERS

1 Shri Praful Patel               -  Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

2 Shri Shriprakash Jaiswal   -  Coal

3 Shri Salman Khursheed    -  Water Resources and additional charge of Minority Affairs

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

1 Shri Ajay Maken              -  Youth Affairs and Sports

2 Shri Beni Prasad Verma   -  Steel

3 Professor K.V. Thomas     -  Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

MINISTERS OF STATE

1 Shri Ashwani Kumar   -  Planning and Parliamentary Affairs and Science and Technology
                                       and Earth Sciences

2 Shri K.C. Venugopal   -  Power

The President, as advised by the Prime Minister, further directed that the portfolios of the following Ministers shall be changed as indicated below:

CABINET MINISTERS

1 Shri Sharad Pawar          -  Agriculture and Food Processing Industries

2 Shri Virbhadra Singh       -  Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

3 Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh   -  Rural Development and additional charge of Panchayati Raj

4 Shri S. Jaipal Reddy         -  Petroleum and Natural Gas

5 Shri Kamal Nath              -  Urban Development

6 Shri Vayalar Ravi            -  Overseas Indian Affairs and additional charge of Civil Aviation

7 Shri Murli Deora              -  Corporate Affairs

8 Shri Kapil Sibal               -  Human Resource Development and additional charge of
                                           Communications and Information Technology

9 Shri B.K. Handique          -  Development of North-Eastern Region

10 Shri C.P. Joshi               -  Road Transport and Highways

11 Kumari Selja                 -  Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and additional charge of
                                           Culture

12 Shri Subodh Kant Sahay -  Tourism

13 Dr. M.S. Gill                   -  Statistics and Programme Implementation

14 Shri Pawan Kumar          -  Parliamentary Affairs and additional charge of Science and
     Bansal                             Technology and Earth Sciences

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

1 Shri Dinsha Patel             -  Mines

MINISTERS OF STATE

1 Shri E. Ahamed          -  External Affairs

2 Shri Harish Rawat       -  Agriculture and Food Processing Industries

3 Shri V. Narayanasamy -  Parliamentary Affairs and Personnel, Public Grievances and
                                       Pensions and Prime Minister's Office

4 Shri Gurudas Kamat     -  Home Affairs

5 Shri A. Sai Prathap       -  Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

6 Shri Bharatsinh Solanki -  Railways

7 Shri Jitin Prasada          -  Road Transport and Highways

8 Shri Mahadev               -  Tribal Affairs
   S Khandela

9 Shri R.P.N. Singh          -  Petroleum and Natural Gas and Corporate Affairs

10 Shri Tusharbhai          -  Road Transport and Highways
   Chaudhary

11 Shri Arun Yadav         -  Agriculture and Food Processing Industries

12 Shri Pratik                 -  Coal
    Prakashbapu Patil

13 Shri Vincent Pala       -  Water Resources and Minority Affairs

The release issued at 1915 hrs