Chennai, May 7 (UNI) Heralding the return of the DMK government
for a sixth time after a gap of ten years, a 34-member Cabinet
headed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin assumed office
on Friday.
Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and
secrecy to Mr Stalin and his Council of Ministers at a simple
function held at Raj Bhavan.
DMK cadres across the state celebrated the occasion by bursting
crackers and distributing sweets.
As Chief Minister, Mr Stalin will handle the portfolios of Public
General Administration, IAS, IPS, Other All India Service, District
Revenue Officers, Police, Home, Special Incentives, Special
Programme Implementation and Welfare of Differently-abled
persons.
While veteran leader and DMK general secretary Duraimurugan is
designated number two in the Cabinet with the portfolio of Water
Resources, former Chennai Mayor Ma.Subramanian is the new
Minister for Medical and Family Welfare and will handle Health
Department.
Mr Subramanian has been assigned the key portfolio of health at
a challenging time when the daily COVID case load inched closer
to the 25,000 mark in the State, including more than 6,500 in
Chennai alone.
Madurai Central MLA Palanivel Thiagarajan, who is the son of
former DMK leader PTR Palanivel Rajan, was entrusted with the
finance portfolio.
Later, talking to a TV channel after taking oath, he said several
innovative measures were needed to correct the State's financial
position, when went bad during the last few years.
he said 'Standard methods cannot bring back the state finances
to comfortable levels...it needs some innovative measures'.
The 34-member Cabinet included DMK veterans, who had served
in the previous M Karunanidhi Cabinet, besides 15 new faces and
two women.
The only two women representatives in the Cabinet are former
Minister P.Geetha Jeevan, now the Minister for Social Welfare
and Women Empowerment), who was part of the DMK Cabinet
between 2006 and 2011, and new face Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, who
was made Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister.
The size of the Cabinet was four more than that of the outgoing
Edappadi K.Palaniswami Ministry.
Prominent leaders, who were in attendance at the swearing in
ceremony included actor-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam
Founder Kamal Hasan, MDMK General Secretary and Rajya
Sabha MP Vaiko and AIADMK coordinator, Former Deputy
Chief Minister O.Panneerselvam and senior BJP leader
L Ganesan.
After taking oath, Mr Stalin, accompanied by party leaders,
paid tributes at the memorial of his father and former DMK
Chief M Karunanidhi and C N Annadurai on the Marina beach
front and at the memorial of Rationalist leader Periyar.
He also visited the Gopalapuram residence of Mr Karunanidhi
and sought blessings from his mother.
later, he proceeded to the State Secretariat and assumed
charge by signing important files as part of fulfilling his party's
poll promises.
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