Bhupen Goswami

 GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday inducted two new faces into his cabinet. Jayanta Malla Barua and Nandita Garlosha have been inducted in the cabinet and portfolios of several other ministers were changed. The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state has been reshuffled for the first time. Sarma was sworn in as chief minister last year on May 10, 2021. Newly appointed Minister Jayanta Malla Barua has been given public health engineering department, skill, employment and entrepreneurship department and tourism department. Nandita Garlosha has been given the power department, cooperation department, mines and minerals department and swadeshi and tribal religion and cultural departments. Meanwhile, in a major reshuffle among several ministers, Chandra Mohan Patowari has been removed from the transport department and handed over the forest department.

While Parimal Sukhabaidya has been removed from the Minister of Forest and Environment and given the Transport Department.Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi in the exercise of power vested in him under clause (1) of Article 164 of the Constitution of India inducted two ministers by administering them oath of office and secrecy at a solemn function held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra International auditorium, here today. The two newly inducted ministers are Nandita Gorlosa and Jayanta Malla Baruah. With this expansion the strength of the Council of Ministers of the BJP-led State government rose to 16. In the swearing-in ceremony Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, his ministerial colleagues, MPs, MLAs, his advisors, senior government officers and a host of other dignitaries were present.