Naveen allocates portfolios to new ministers

Bhubaneswar,May 17 (UNI) Debutant Cabinet Ministers Raghunath Mohanty and Bishnu Charan Das were allotted Panchayat Raj,Parliament Affairs and School and Mass Education respectively in a major reshuffle by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Both Mr.Mohanty and Mr.Das, elected four times to the state assembly,were among the six new ministers sworn-in today at the Raj Bhawan after Mr Patnaik dropped four ministers from his cabinet last night.

Senior tribal leader and former Union Minister Chaitanya Prasad Majhi who was inducted as a new Cabinet minister,was given Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe and Minorities Welfare portfolio held by Excise Minister Kalandi Behera who resigned last month in the wake of a series of liquor tragedies in Ganjam district that claimed more than 40 lives.

Another debutant Minister Sanjeeb Prasad Sahoo was allotted the minister of state Science and Technology(ind) held by Mr.Rabi Narayan Nanda who resigned last March in the wake of allegation for his involvement in the 2002 Puri liquor tragedy.

Of the six ministers inducted into the cabinet, two--Chaitanya Prasad Majhi and Duryadhan Majhi--had held posts of minister during the Biju Patnaik government in 1990-1995.

Mr.Debi Prasad Mishra who was inducted as Minister of state and later alloted the excise and tourism portfolios with independent charge,had earlier held the minister of state for health and family welfare during the first term of the Naveen Patnaik government. He was dropped by the chief minister who wanted him to concentrate more on organisational activities.

Mr.Duryadhan Majhi who has the distinction of being elected to the Assembly for the fourth consecutive term since 1990,was given the Health and Family Welfare portfolio held by dropped Bijayeshree Routray,son of former Chief Minister Nilamani Routray. Mr. Majhi was the Minister of state for Information and Public Relation during the Biju Patnaik government in 1990-95. He, however, had resigned from the ministry after he had a differences with Mr.Patnaik.

The chief minister divested the tourism portfolio held by Energy and Information Technology Minister S N Patra which went to Mr.Debi Prasad Mishra.Mr.Patra was given the culture portfolio.

Similarly, the Parliamentary Affairs portfolio held by Steel and Mines Minister Padmanav Behera was given to Mr.Raghunath Mohanty along with Panchayat Raj department.

The chief minister, however, allotted the Planning and Coordination department, held by him, to Steel and Mines Minister Padmanav Behera.

UNI