MHA gets 2 more junior ministers

TWO NEW Ministers of State – Ajay Kumar Mishra and Nisith Pramanik – took charge of their offices in the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday. This is the first time in the Narendra Modi government that the MHA has three junior ministers, including Nityanand Rai.

Mishra and Pramanik arrived at the ministry at 4 pm and after finishing the formalities of taking charge met Home Minister Amit Shah at his office.

Sources said Shah is likely to redistribute responsibilities among the ministers as earlier there were two junior ministers.

G Kishan Reddy, who has been replaced by Ajay Mishra at the MHA, has been elevated as a Cabinet minister, in charge of Culture and Tourism. He earlier held responsibilities of key divisions of the MHA, including Jammu and Kashmir and Internal Security.

“I am very thankful to the party leadership for showing trust in me. The priorities are in place and I will work under the leadership of Amit Shah ji,” Mishra said after taking charge.

When asked about drone threats from Pakistan, he said, “The government has already been working on facing these challenges and we will keep moving in that direction.”

Mishra also spoke about impending elections in UP and said the government had done well and the results were visible in the panchayat elections. “We have won the semi-final and we will win the final as well,” he said.

Ahead of UP elections next year, Mishra’s induction as a junior minister in a ministry headed by Shah is being seen as a significant signal to Brahmins in the state. Mishra represents the Lakhimpur Kheri constituency in UP and is known to have considerable influence in the region.

Pramanik, who at 35 is the youngest minister in the Modi Cabinet, said initially he was a bit nervous on being given such a big responsibility. “But after I met the Home Minister and took his blessings, I am full of confidence,” he said.

Pramanik represents Cooch Behar constituency in West Bengal. He also holds the charge of Minister of State in the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs.