No Decision Yet on Reshuffle in West Bengal Cabinet After Ministers Arrest

The West Bengal government has not yet decided whether to reshuffle the cabinet after the arrest of state minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam. The general opinion is that Mallick was framed by the BJP, but law should take its own course and we have full faith in the judiciary.

In the wake of the arrest of state minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam, there has been no decision taken yet to effect any reshuffle in the West Bengal Cabinet, a government source said on Wednesday.

Mallick Framed by BJP, Says Source

The general opinion is that Mallick was framed by the BJP, but the law should take its own course and the government has full faith in the judiciary, the source said. "However, there is no proposal yet for any reshuffle in the cabinet,” the source added.

Mallick Arrested in Money Laundering Case

Mallick, 66, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the early hours of October 27 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged scam. He will remain in ED custody till November 12.Mallick currently holds the portfolios of Forest Affairs and Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources in the Mamata Banerjee government. He served as the Food Supplies Minister from 2011 to 2021, a period during which the alleged irregularities in ration distribution reportedly occurred.

Ministerial Group to Boost Fish Production

Meanwhile, the source added that the state government has constituted a three-member ministerial group with a view to boost fish production and better maintain ponds at village and block levels. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister.Officials of land, fishery and agriculture departments will be coordinating to ensure that water bodies in rural and urban areas are well maintained, and that pisiculture is not done in a haphazard fashion, but regulated for higher production and revenue generation.

CM Suggests Fish Policy

The CM made the suggestion during discussions over formulating a fish policy to mop up revenue from available resources in an organised manner,” the source said. Agriculture Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Minister of Water Resources Investigation and Development Manas Bhunia and Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Pradip Majumdar are part of the group.