Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has allocated portfolios among her Council of Ministers and kept the charge of significant Departments of Home, General Administration Department, Tourism, Planning, Information, Hospitality and Protocol, Civil Aviation with her. Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh retains his two portfolios of Power Development and Housing and Urban Development Departments.
While majority of Ministers retained their portfolios, BJP’s Bali Bhagat, who was earlier Forest and Social Welfare Minister, got Health and Medical Education. Choudhary Lal Singh, the BJP leader, who earlier held the portfolio of Health and Medical Education, will now be Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister while Sajjad Lone, who was earlier Animal and Sheep Husbandry Minister, has been allocated the portfolio of Social Welfare, ARI and Trainings. Lone, a People’s Conference leader, is the Cabinet Minister from BJP quota. New entrant from BJP Sham Choudhary has got PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, which was earlier held by dropped Minister Choudhary Sukhnandan Kumar.
Abdul Gani Kohli, another BJP leader, who was Transport Minister, will now hold charge of Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries, which was previously with Sajjad Lone. BJP leader Sunil Sharma will hold Independent charge of Transport among other Departments. PDP leader Abdul Rehman Veeri, who earlier held the charge of Haj and Auqaf, has been allocated Public Works and Parliamentary Affairs. Public Works was earlier held by dropped Minister Syed Altaf Bukhari. Two women have also found berth in the Mehbooba cabinet. An Uncle of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is among four fresh faces in the new PDP-BJP government.
Another PDP leader Basharat Bukhari, who was Relief and Rehabilitation and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, will now be Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister. Revenue was earlier held by dropped Minister Javaid Mustafa Mir. PDP leader Abdul Haq Khan while retaining the portfolio of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, has also got the charge of Law and Justice from Basharat Bukhari.
