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43 ministers sworn-in

“I’m happy that I won the election and also that the chief minister thought I was capable,” said Kabir.

43 ministers sworn-in

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with new ministers of State during Swearing-in-ceremony of new ministers of the State at Raj Bhawan in Kolkata on Monday, May 10, 2021.(Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)

In chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s new Cabinet 43 ministers including 24 MICs, 10 Ministerof-State (independent charge) and nine MoS were sworn-in at Thorne Hall of Raj Bhavan. Miss Banerjee retained the crucial departments of Home and Health departments along with Land and Land Reforms, Information and Cultural Affairs and North Bengal Development departments and allocated portfolio to her Cabinet colleagues.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar administered the Oath of Office and secrecy to the ministers. Amit Mitra, who was ill and Bratya Basu and Rathin Ghosh, who are suffering from Covid took oath virtually from their homes. Interestingly, there are nine women ministers in Miss Banerjee’s Cabinet.

The new faces in the Cabinet are Humayun Kabir, Sabina Yasmin, Akkurzaman, Subrata Saha, Dr Manas Bhuinya, Birbaha Hansda, Dr Ratna Dey Nag, Akhil Giri, Bencharam Manna, Bulu Chik Barik, Jyotsna Mandi, Dilip Mondal and Bankim Chandra Hazra. Mitra has been allocated the Finance department, which he had held in the last two terms as well. Partha Chatterjee will be in-charge of Industry and Commerce Departments, which he had held during the first stint from 2011 and which was handed over to Mitra in 2013.

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Similarly, Basu will be in charge of School and Higher Education, which he had held in 2011 and which later went to Chatterjee in 2014. Senior minister Subrata Mukherjee will continue as Panchayat and Rural Development department minister, Dr Sashi Panja will is minister of women and child development and social welfare, Sadhan Pande will remain in the Consumer Affairs, Self Help Group and Self Employment department and Indranil Sen will continue as Minister of State (independent charge) in Tourism department and MoS in Information and Cultural Affairs.

Sujit Bose will continue with the Fire and Emergency Services department. Firhad Hakim will helm the Transport and Housing Department while Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay has been appointed Minister of Agriculture. Dr Manas Bhuniya and Sabina Yasmin, who were in 2011 Cabinet as Congress MLAs have been appointed as Water Resource Development and Investigation Minister and MoS Irrigation and Waterways and North Bengal Development respectively.

“I’m happy that though I moved to another party, I have won. I’ll look after the party’s organisation in Malda and carry out development projects of our chief minister,” said Yasmin. Bhuinya said: “The incomplete works of Sabong  and west Midnapore will have to be completed.” Former IPS officer Humayun Kabir has been appointed as Minister of State (Independent charge) in Technical Education, Training and Skill Development department.

“I’m happy that I won the election and also that the chief minister thought I was capable,” said Kabir. Ratna De Nag will hold the portfolio Environment, Science and Technology while Birbaha Hansda will be MoS for Forest and former cricketer Manoj Tewari will be MoS for Sports. Miss Banerjee said that those who did not get a berth in the Cabinet will be placed at the head of committees.

Nirmal Ghosh will be appointed as chief whip of the Legislative Assembly and Tapas Roy will be appointed as the deputy chief whip.

Biman Banerjee has already been elected Speaker and Asish Banerjee will be elected as Deputy Speaker. Pandua MLA Ratna De Nag after being sworn in as minister expressed her gratitude to chief minister Mamata Banerjee while speaking to The Statesman.

After losing to BJP candidate Locket Chatterjee in 2014, she was crestfallen but Miss Banerjee showed confidence in her and assured to bring her back. She has kept her word, Nag said. She was sworn in as the environment, science, technology and bio-technology minister.

Nag added her father, Dr Gopal Das Nag, who was the labour minister during the then Congress regime, would have been delighted to see her taking oath as minister. As a minister, she said, she will work towards a more cleaner and greener environment as the city and towns riddled with high-rises requires a pollution free environment.

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