The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday allotted portfolios to the new ministers inducted in the cabinet led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. According to the order for allocation of departments issued by the Lieutenant Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Chaudhary will hold the charge of Public Works (R&B), Industry and Commerce, Mining, Labor and Employment and Skill Development. The only woman minister, Sakina Masood (ITU), has been given the charge of important ministries like health and medical education, school education, higher education and social welfare. Let us tell you that she was the Social Welfare Minister during Abdullah’s first tenure as the Chief Minister of the erstwhile state. Javed Ahmed Rana has been allotted the portfolios of Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology and Environment and Tribal Affairs. Javed Ahmed Dar will be the Minister of Agricultural Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Cooperation and Elections.
Satish Sharma has been given the charge of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Transport, Science and Technology, Information Technology, Youth Services and Sports and Administrative Reforms, Inspection, Training and Grievances Department (ARI) and Training. The order states that other departments/subjects not allocated to any minister will remain with the Chief Minister.
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Let us tell you that Omar Abdullah had held the first meeting of his cabinet a day earlier. Administrative issues were discussed in the Cabinet meeting and priorities of the government were decided. Let us tell you that the priorities of the Abdullah government are to improve the situation of infrastructure, health care, education and employment. Apart from this, emphasis will be laid on resolving people’s complaints and promoting transparency within the bureaucracy. Let us also tell you that Chief Minister Abdullah has given instructions to the officials that the traffic movement on the road should not be affected due to his convoy. In the first meeting of the Cabinet, a resolution was passed urging the Central Government to return full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible.
On the other hand, BJP has said on the cabinet resolution that the government should focus on working because Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Jammu and Kashmir will be given back its full statehood status. He said that the Omar government should focus on fulfilling the promises that it had made to the people at the time of elections.
