A Raja is new IT, Telecom Minister

New Delhi, May 15 (UNI) Mr A Raja today replaced Mr Dayanidhi Maran as Communications and Information Technology Minister.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said President A P J Abdul Kalam has accepted the resignation of Mr Maran and allocated the portfolio to Mr Raja, another DMK leader.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold the Environment and Forests portfolio held earlier by Mr Raja, while Mr S Regupathy will be Minister of State.

The acceptance of Mr Maran's resignation and the change of portfolios necessitated by it have been done on the advice of the Prime Minister, the communique said.

Mr Maran had put in his papers after he fell out of DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's favour in the wake of a Tamil paper, run by his brother, Kalanidhi Maran, carrying a survey report which showed the ousted minister as the most popular central minister from Tamil Nadu.

UNI