Two days after taking oath for a second consecutive term, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday allotted portfolios to the four ministers who took oath with him in the new government.
The allocation was announced through a memorandum issued by Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya. The memo stated, “I have received your letter… which proposes distributing ministerial portfolios to members of the Council of Ministers… I agree to the proposal as you proposed.”
Former Union Minister Rameshwar Teli, a new entrant in the cabinet who belongs to the tea tribe community, has been given charge of the departments of Transformation and Development, Workers Welfare, Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare.
Ajanta Neog, the only minister in the current government, has been given charge of the tourism and women and child development departments. In the previous government, Neog also held the Finance portfolio along with Women and Child Development.
Alliance partner Asom Gana Parishad chief Atul Bora has been allocated to the departments of Panchayat and Rural Development, Assam Accord Implementation, Border Protection and Development and Excise.
In the previous government, Bora handled agriculture and horticulture, border protection and development, and implementation of Assam Accord departments.
Sarma has not yet clarified which departments he will retain. According to the agreement, all departments not allocated to any minister remain under the responsibility of the Prime Minister.
Charan Boro, of the Bodoland People’s Front, has been given charge of transport and social welfare in the Bodoland district administrations, both of which he also held in the previous government.
Sarma had earlier announced that Ranjit Kumar Das, who handled the panchayat, rural development and tourism department in the previous government, will be the new president of the Assam Assembly.
The Prime Minister had said on Wednesday that the expansion of the Cabinet would take place around the first week of June after the conclusion of the first session of the newly elected Assembly.
