Cabinet reshuffle: Pranab becomes Foreign Minister

New Delhi: Manmohan Singh reshuffled the cabinet today. A K Antony sworn in as Cabinet Minister. M H Abbareesh takes oath as Minister of State. J P Yadan takes oath as MoS. Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee takes oath as the new Foreign Minister.

However, former Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony is expected to take up the post of Defence Ministry. Minister of State Oscar Fernandes is expected to get the Labour Minister's post in the minor reshuffle. At 1930 hours the Prime Minister inducted new ministers of state.

No changes are expected in the Home and Finance portfolios. Mukherjee has long experience in the Government and was the Foreign Minister ministry in Narasimha Rao's Government.

The External Affairs Ministry has been without a chief since November 2005, when K Natwar Singh was forced to resign in the wake of the controversy over the Paul Volcker report on UN Oil-for-Food programme in Iraq.

The last re-shuffle took place in January this year when Murli Deora, Sushil Kumar Shinde and A R Antulay were among those inducted into the Cabinet.

The list of new ministers was firmed up after the Prime Minister held consultations with UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday.

With today's expansion, the strength of the 29-month-old Congress-led UPA government has gone up to 80. Along with today's expansion, Dr Singh is expected to make reallocation of portfolios of some of his colleagues.

Mr Antony, 65, a three-time Chief Minister of Kerala is a Congress Working Committee member and incharge of the party affairs in Karnataka. He was the Civil Supplies Minister in the Narasimha Rao government and also held important positions in the All India Congress Committee set-up.

Kannada actor-turned-politician Ambareesh makes his debut in the Union Ministry. Known as ''Rebel Star Ambareesh'' among his fans, he was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha from his native Mandya seat on a Janata Dal ticket, but subsequently joined the Congress. He was re-elected in 1999 and 2004.

He is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare.

RJD leader Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav, 52, was a Minister of State for Water Resources in the Manmohan Singh government, but had to quit during the Bihar Assembly elections last year following allegations of influencing police to release his brother, a suspect in an electoral malpractice.

Mr Yadav represents the Munger constituency in Bihar.

OneIndia News

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