Arvind Kejriwal takes charge, all ministers retain portfolios

New Delhi: A day after the new Cabinet took oath at Delhi’s historic Ramlila Maidan, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Monday, allotted portfolios to his council of ministers.

CM Kejriwal will not be taking charge of any department, instead he will be directly overseeing the work of all ministers. He will monitor all operational processes and functioning of all the departments. He will also ensure interactions with the public to resolve the grievances and induce communication between his government and the public.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has been allocated the ministries of education, finance, planning, land and building, vigilance, services, tourism, art, culture and language, and all other departments not specifically allocated to any minister.

Gopal Rai has been allocated the departments of employment, development, labour and general administration, environment, and forest and wildlife.

The water department has been shifted to Satyendra Jain. He will also handle the departments of health, industries, public works department (PWD), power, home, urban development, and irrigation and flood control.

Among the changes made in the Delhi Cabinet, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) will be under Mr Jain while the department of environment will be under Mr Rai.

The department of women and child development (WCD) will be headed by Rajendra Pal Gautam.

Imran Hussain will handle the food and supply and election departments of the Delhi government.

The departments of gurdwara elections, SC and ST, social welfare, and cooperative have been allocated to Mr Gautam alongside the women and child development department, which had earlier been allocated to Mr Sisodia.

Law, justice and legislative affairs, transport, administrative reforms, information and technology, and revenue have been allocated to Kailash Gahlot.

The biggest priority of the government will be fulfilling the promises of the guarantee card and the manifesto of AAP.

Mr Sisodia presided over meetings with the finance department and the education department of Delhi soon after resuming office, on Monday, at the Delhi Secretariat.

Presiding over a meeting with the senior officers of the finance department, Mr Sisodia stressed on the need to eradicate departmental corruption by income tax officers.

“Setting up effective revenue targets should be our next course of action,” he said.

There was also a meeting with the officials of the education department where Mr Sisodia gave several instructions, including speeding up the work of two new universities and repairing the outer walls of all the schools.

After resuming the charge, Mr Gahlot said that the CM’s guarantee card will be his priority and at the same time the government will work on further strengthening Delhi’s transport system.

Mr Gautam said, “We will work for the development of people from every class and background. The people have supported Aam Aadmi Party wholeheartedly and this is our time to return this faith. We will work hard to make Delhi a better city for everyone.”