Perform or people will teach a lesson, Mehbooba tells ministers

Jammu, April 5: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minster Mehbooba Mufti allocated portfolios to her team of ministers here overnight and told the ministers to "perform or people will teach a lesson".

Chairing her first cabinet meeting on late Monday night after she took over as the first woman chief minister of country's only Muslim majority state, Mufti told her ministerial colleagues: "Perform or else the people will teach you a lesson."

Having already lost nearly three months in re-stitching an alliance her late father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed had tailored by calling it 'the meeting of the north and the south', Mufti settled down to administrative business immediately after being sworn in here on Monday.

Nirmal Singh (BJP), deputy chief minister has been allotted power development, housing and urban department portfolios.

Abdul Rehman Bhat Veeri (PDP) is the new minister for roads and buildings and parliamentary affairs.

Haseeb Drabu (PDP) gets the all important portfolio of finance, planning and culture.

Naeem Akhtar (PDP) has again been allotted the education portfolio.

Abdul Haq (PDP) get rural development, panchayati raj and law.

Syed Basharat Bukhar (PDP) has been allotted revenue, relief and rehabilitation.

During his 10-month stint as education minister Akhtar was 'blamed' in a lighter vein for having pushed non-performing teachers to suffer from sleep disorders.

Bali Bhagat (BJP) gets health and medical education, Sajad Lone (Peoples Conference) social welfare, Chowdhary Zulfiqar (PDP) consumer affairs and public distribution, Choudhary Lal Singh (BJP) gets forests, ecology and environment, Abdul Ghani Kohli (BJP) animal husbandry and veterinary department.

All other departments including general administration, home, tourism and those not allotted to any other minister will be handled by the chief minister herself.

IANS