Narendra Modi was on Monday set to take oath of office as 15th prime Minister along with some 45 Ministers, including key leaders Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, sources said, adding that the list has been dispatched to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The sources said about 25 of these Ministers were slated for Cabinet ranks and the remaining would figure in the list of those with the rank of Minister of State with Independent charge and Minister of State.
Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, scheduled at 6 p.m. at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mr. Modi had indicated he would not like to have a large cabinet, and that the focus would be on consolidation of portfolios.
“Keeping our commitment to ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ -- we have made an unprecedented and positive change in ministry formation,” the Prime Minister-in-waiting had tweeted late on Sunday.
“Various assembled Ministries will be transformed into organic Ministries for quicker pace of work and better coordination between departments. This is a step towards smart governance and will give us added strength to fulfil aspirations of the people.”
