Yediyurappa allocates portfolios to new Ministers, effects changes for some

A week after expanding hiscabinet, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursdayallocated portfolios to the seven new inductees and alsoeffected a reshufle of the departments of some ministers.

Among the new Ministers, Umesh Katti gets the Food,Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs while S Angara has beengiven Fisheries, Ports and Inland Transport.

Murugesh Nirani will be the Mines and Geology ministerand Arvind Limbavali gets Forest Department, according to anofficial gazette notification issued in this regard with theconsent of the Governor.

Among the others, R Shankar gets MunicipalAdministration and Sericulture portfolio while MTB Nagarajwould be the Excise Minister and C P Yogeshwar in charge ofMinor Irrigation department.

In a significant reshuffle, J C Madhuswamy has beendivested of Law, Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation and MinorIrrigation portfolios and allocated Medical Education, Kannadaand Culture departments.

Madhuswamy was the key minister who used to put upa strong defence of the government in the Assembly The Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislationdepartment has been given to Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai asan additional portfolio.

The Forest Department has been taken back from AnandSingh, who has now been given the Tourism portfolio inaddition to Environment and Ecology; while the responsibilityof the Medical Education Department has been taken back fromHealth and Family Welfare Minister K Sudhakar.

C C Patil, who earlier held the Mines and Geologyportfolio has now been given charge of Small Scale Industriesand Information and Public Relations department also.

Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari has been relieved fromthe responsibility of Fisheries, Ports and Inland TransportDepartment and will now have Muzrai and Backward ClassesWelfare Department.

While Haj and Wakf Department has been taken back fromAnimal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan; Labour Minister AShivaram Hebbar has been divested of the Sugar department.

K Gopalaiah, who has been divested of the Food, CivilSupplies and Consumers Affairs Department, has now been madeincharge of Horticulture and Sugar departments and K CNarayana Gowda has been given Youth Empowerment, Sports, Hajand Wakf Departments, while Municipal Administration,Horticulture and Sericulture departments have been taken backfrom him.

The Chief Minister has kept the Department ofPersonnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), Cabinet Affairs,Finance, Bangalore Development, Energy, Intelligence,Planning, Programme Monitoring Statistics, InfrastructureDevelopment and all unallocated portfolios with himself.

According to sources, there is resentment among someMinisters about portfolios allocated to them and are likely tomeet the Chief Minister in this regard.

Ending a long wait, Yediyurappa had expanded his 17-month old cabinet on January 13, by inducting seven ministersas he also dropped H Nagesh who was holding the Exciseportfolio.

Also, several MLAs had expressed serious reservationsabout MLCs not elected by the people being made Ministers,lack of representation with most Ministers still fromBengaluru and Belagavi districts, and also on their ''seniorityor sacrifice'' not being considered.

There are now 33 Ministers in the cabinet, whose totalstrength is 34.PTI KSU SSPTI PTI