Lawyers dominate Modi's cabinet

New Delhi, June 8: One-third of the Union Council of Ministers are law degree holders while two are doctors and nine graduates in various other streams.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh are among 12 ministers in the 44-member team who possess Masters degree. As many as 15 who hold law degrees include Cabinet Ministers Sushma Swaraj (External Affairs), Arun Jaitley (Finance), M Venkaiah Naidu (Urban Development), Nitin Gadkari (Road, Transport and Highways), D V Sadanand Gowda (Railways), and Ramvilas Paswan (Consumer Affairs).

Besides them, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Ananthkumar and Communication and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also hold law degree, according to their biodatas and self-sworn affidavits. Ministers of State (Independent Charge) Textiles Santosh K Gangwar, Sarbananda Sonowal (Youth Affairs and Sports), Piyush Goyal (Power) and Rao Inderjit Singh (Planning) also have degrees in law.

Ministers of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Radhakrishnan P, Kiren Rijiju (Home Affairs) and Krishan Pal (Road Transport and Highways) have completed their graduations in law, according to their affidavits filed while contesting Lok Sabha elections. The two doctors in the Modi ministry are Harsh Vardhan (Health and Family Welfare Minister) and Jitendra Singh (Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Prime Minister's Office).

PTI