Cabinet Expansion: The Union Cabinet, which can have 81 members, currently has 52 ministers.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet reshuffle, the first in his second term, will be announced at 6 pm. Forty-three ministers are likely to be sworn in today; at least three ministers of state are expected to be promoted.
Here are 10 developments in this big story:
Two ministers, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (Education) and Santosh Gangwar (Labour), have resigned, say sources.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sarbananda Sonowal, Narayan Rane, Bhupendra Yadav and Meenakshi Lekhi are set to join the government. They were among 17 people who visited PM Modi’s residence ahead of the revamp.
Ministers of State Anurag Thakur, Purshottam Rupala and GK Reddy, who also met with PM Modi, are likely to be promoted.
More allies will join the government in this round – RCP Singh (Janata Dal United), Pashupati Paras (Lok Janshakti Party) and Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal), to name some.
The new cabinet will be the “youngest-ever” in India’s history, top government sources say. The shake-up is also expected to bring in a greater share of ministries for OBCs (Other Backward Class).
There will be more women ministers and special representation will be given to those who have administrative experience, say the sources.
Government sources also say the revamped cabinet will include “PhDs, MBAs, post-graduates and professionals”, to bring up the average education level.
The reboot will also focus on regions within states, with an eye on polls in five states next year and the 2024 national election.
A new “Ministry of Cooperation” has been created to “strengthen the cooperative movement in the country”, according to the government.
The Union Cabinet, which can have 81 members, currently has 52 ministers. This means 29 ministers can be added.