In a major shake up of his Council of Ministers almost midway through his second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi oversaw the swearing-in of 43 Ministers (new and seven promotions to Cabinet rank) and dropped 12 Ministers (seven Cabinet and five Ministers of State) including Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s new Health Minister would be newly elevated Cabinet Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
Government sources have termed it an effort by Mr. Modi to strike a balance between political messaging of including MPs from various regional centres as well as from marginalised communities and beefing up the skill set of the ministries with professionally and educationally qualified additions.
