The Hindu : Front Page : Sheila keeps Power; Lovely gets Transport

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Tuesday, Dec 23, 2008
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Front Page

Sheila keeps Power; Lovely gets Transport

Staff Reporter

A.K. Walia retains Finance Department
Kiran Walia gets Health and Family Welfare

NEW DELHI: After a long wait of nearly a week since the Delhi Cabinet was sworn in by Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna on December 17, the portfolios of all the Ministers were announced on Monday.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has kept with her the all-important Power Department that was earlier with A.K. Walia and the Tourism Department that was being handled by Arvinder Singh Lovely.

The other departments with Ms Dikshit are Home , Services and Vigilance, General Administration , Higher Education (including Training and Technical Education), Art and Culture and Environment besides all the other departments that have not been allocated.

A.K. Walia would retain his main Finance and Planning Departments. And in place of Power, he has now once again been entrusted with Urban Development Department that he was handling prior to the last reallocation of portfolios. Land and Building Department would now also be handled by him.

Haroon Yusuf while retaining his Food and Supplies Department has lost out on Transport. But in place, he now has the charge of Industries Department.

Mangat Ram Singhal, who used to handle Industries in the last Government, would now handle the departments of Social Welfare, Labour, Employment, Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs . He retains Elections Department which he held in the previous Government.

For Raj Kumar Chauhan the task remains largely associated with development works. He has been given the departments of Development, Revenue, Irrigation and Flood Control, SC/ST Welfare and Public Works Department which is very important considering that a lot of developmental activities ahead of the Commonwealth Games are being done by it.

Mr Lovely, under whose term, the Education Department did exceedingly well and even bagged the “Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration”, has again been trusted with this key department. Also, he has been given the all-important Transport Department at a time when the sector is being accorded high priority by the Delhi Government which wants to improve on public transport in the city.

Mr Lovely would also handle Gurdwara Elections and Gurdwara Administration, which were with him earlier too.

The only new face in the Cabinet, Kiran Walia, has been given the responsibility of Health and Family Welfare Department, Women and Child Development and Languages.

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