Thirty-six new ministers joined the government and four high-profile ministers--Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar--quit on Wednesday in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mega cabinet reboot.
PM Modi now has 77 ministers, nearly half of them new. Anurag Thakur, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Puri are among 15 new Cabinet ministers, while there are 28 new Ministers of State.
Meanwhile, PM Modi's new team has 16 first-time MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Among them only Narayan Rane and Pashupati Kumar Paras have been chosen as Cabinet ministers, while the others are Ministers of State.
Here's a full list:
1. Annpurna Devi (51): She has been the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education. She is a Lok Sabha MP for Kodarma in Jharkhand, serving her 1st term as MP. She has also been a 4-time MLA from Jharkhand and Bihar. She has served as Cabinet Minister in Government of Jharkhand, holding portfolios like Irrigation, Women & Child Welfare, Registration. She also served as Minister of State for Mines and Geology in the Government of Bihar, at the young age of 30. She has a MA in History from Ranchi University.
2. A Narayanaswamy (64): He has been appointed as Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. He is a Lok Sabha MP for Chitradurg in Karnataka, serving his 1st term as MP. He has also been elected as 4-times MLA in Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He has also been Cabinet Minister in Karnataka Government. He has served over 3 decades in public life. He has an BA from Government Arts College, Bengaluru.
3. Ajay Bhatt (60): He has been appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism. He is a Lok Sabha MP for Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar in Uttarakhand, serving his 1st term as MP. He was a 3-time MLA in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. He held portfolios like Parliamentary Affairs, Health, Disaster Excise as Cabinet Minister in Uttarakhand Government. He has served over 25 years in public life. Prior to public service, he practiced as a Lawyer in Ranikhet. He has an LLB from Kumaun University.
4. Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma (59): He has been appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. He is a Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh, serving his 1st term as MP. He has served over 35 years in public life. He has an MA from Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi.
5. Pratima Bhoumik (52): She has been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. She is a Lok Sabha MP for Tripura West in Tripura, serving her 1st term as MP. She comes from a humble background, practices farming. She holds a Graduate degree in Bio-Science from Women's College, Tripura University.
6. Subhas Sarkar (67): He has been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education. He is a Lok Sabha MP for Bankura in West Bengal, serving his 1st term as MP. He is a Gynaecologist and board member of AIIMS Kalyani. A social worker since youth, he has been in public life for around nearly 5 decades and was associated with Ramakrishna Mission. He holds an MBBS degree from Calcutta University and Certificate in Ultra Sonography, Infertlity and Laparoscopy.
7. Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad (64): He has been appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance. He is a Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra, serving his 1st term as MP. In public life, he has served as Mayor of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation and Chairman of Marathwada Legal Development Corporation. A Doctor by profession, he runs Dr Karad Multi Specialty Hospital & Research Center in Aurangabad. He holds MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Pediatric Surgery), and FCPS (General Surgery) degrees from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and Mumbai University.
8. Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh (Manipur): He has been appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Education. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh is a Lok Sabha MP for Inner Manipur in Manipur, serving his 1st term as MP. Prior to his political career, he had a 4 decade long career as an Geography Professor, ending as Director of College Development Council in Manipur University. He has a MA and PhD in Geography from Gauhati University.
9. Bharati Pravin Pawar (42): She has been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. She is a Lok Sabha MP for Dindori in Maharashtra, serving her 1st term as MP. She served as Member of Nashik Zila Parishad and worked for eradicating malnutrition and providing clean drinking water. Before joining public life, she was a Medical Practitioner. She holds a MBBS degree in Surgery from NDMVPS Medical College, Nashik.
10. Bishweswar Tudu (56): He has been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Bishweswar Tudu is a Lok Sabha MP for Mayurbhanj in Odisha, serving his 1st term as MP. He hails from the Cuttack region of Odisha. Prior to his political career, he worked as a Senior Engineer in Water Resources Department in Odisha. He holds a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Utkalmani Gopabandhu Institute of Engineering, Rourkela.
11. Shantanu Thakur (38): He has been appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. He is a Lok Sabha MP for Bongaon in West Bengal, serving his 1st term as MP. He is a senior leader of the Matua community. He holds a BA in English from Karnataka State Open University and Diploma in Hospitality Management.
12. Munjapara Mahendrabhai (52): He has been appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of AYUSH. He is a Lok Sabha MP for Surendranagar in Gujarat, serving his 1st term as MP. Prior to his political career, he had a 3 decades long distinguished career as a Cardiologist and Professor of Medicine in Gujarat. A social worker at heart, he offered medicines at Rs 2 and served as many as 8 lakh patients through various medical camps. He holds an MD in General Medicine and Therapeutics from Gujarat University.
13. John Barla (45): He has been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs. He is a Lok Sabha MP for Alipurduars in West Bengal, serving his 1st term as MP. He has worked tirelessly for the rights of tea garden workers, primarily in North Bengal and Assam for 2 decades. Coming from a humble background, he had started of as a tea garden worker at the tender age of 14.
14. Nisith Pramanik (35): He has been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. He is a Lok Sabha MP for Cooch Behar in West Bengal, serving his 1st term as MP. He has also worked as an Assistant Teacher in a Primary School. He has a BCA degree.
15. Narayan Rane (69): He has been appointed as the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. He is a Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra, serving his 1st term. He has earlier been a 6-time MLA & 1-time MLC in Maharashtra. He has served Maharashtra as Chief Minister, as well as Cabinet Minister handling important portfolios like Industries, Revenue, Ports & Animal Husbandry. He has been serving the public in elected offices across different capacities for over 35 years. Before that, he served in the Income Tax Department from 1971 to 1984.
16. Pashupati Kumar Paras (68): He has been appointed as the Minister of Food Processing Industries. He is the Lok Sabha MP for Hajipur in Bihar. He has been a 7-time MLA and 1-time MLC in Bihar, making him one of India’s senior-most State legislators. He has also served as Minister in the Bihar Government. He has served over 45 years in public life. He has a BEd from Bhagalpur University.
