Without dropping anyone or inducting any new incumbent, the Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi has made a major reshuffle of her 23-month-old Central Cabinet on the eve of the Budget session of Parliament. The Prime Minister has divested herself of the portfolio of External Affairs and has transferred the charge to Mr. Dinesh Singh, till now Minister of Commerce. She has also promoted Mr. B.R. Bhagat to Cabinet rank. The Commerce Ministry has been renamed Ministry for Foreign Trade and Supply and Minister of State for External Affairs B.R. Bhagat has been put in-charge of the new Ministry. Mrs. Gandhi was working on the changes since early yesterday [February 13] and conveyed the changes to the concerned Ministers when they called on her or through telephone. The changes which came as a surprise to many of her colleagues were announced in the early hours of this morning [February 14, New Delhi]. There is no change in the portfolios of Deputy Prime Minister Morarji Desai, Home Minister Y.B. Chavan, Food Minister Jagjivan Ram, Labour Minister J.L. Hathi, Defence Minister Swaran Singh and Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Dr. Karan Singh. The reshuffling of portfolios and reorganisation of Ministries have been done keeping in view the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission. Another new Ministry to be created is that of Steel and Heavy Engineering. Mr. C.M. Poonacha has been shifted from Railways to take charge of this Ministry.
