Suvendu Adhikari Cabinet: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has distributed departments among the ministers. Dilip Ghosh has got the Rural Development and Livestock Department. Many major decisions including Ayushman Bharat were approved in the first cabinet meeting.
After the historic change in the politics of West Bengal, the new BJP government has now started deciding the direction of governance. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday distributed portfolios among his cabinet ministers. This is being considered as the first major administrative step of the BJP government after ousting the Trinamool Congress, which had been influential in the state politics for a long time.
In the first cabinet meeting held on Monday at the State Secretariat ‘Nabanna’ in Kolkata, not only the ministries were distributed, but many important decisions were also approved. Especially the decision to implement Ayushman Bharat scheme in Bengal is being considered big from both political and administrative point of view.
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Rural Development and Livestock Department to Dilip Ghosh
Dilip Ghosh, one of the most popular faces in the new government, has been given the responsibility of Panchayat and Animal Resource Development Department. Giving the department related to rural development to Dilip Ghosh, who has a strong hold in organization and grassroots politics, is being considered as BJP’s strategic thinking. Political analysts believe that BJP wants to strengthen its hold in rural Bengal, hence this department has been handed over to an experienced leader.
Which minister got which department?
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has given important responsibilities to many leaders in his team. After the division of departments, the priorities of the new government at the administrative level are also clearly visible.
Major ministers got portfolios:
- Dilip Ghosh – Panchayat and Animal Resource Development
- Ashok Kirtaniya – Food Ministry
- Khudiram Tudu – Backward Class Welfare
- Agnimitra Paul – Women and Child Development
- Nishith Pramanik – North Bengal Development, Sports and Youth Welfare
Experts believe that departments have been allocated keeping in mind regional and social balance.
Major decisions taken in the first cabinet meeting
Many important policy decisions were also taken in the first cabinet meeting of the new government, which can have a direct impact on the people of the state.
Ayushman Bharat scheme will be implemented in Bengal
The biggest decision was taken regarding Ayushman Bharat scheme. The previous TMC government had not implemented this central scheme in the state, but now the BJP government has approved to implement it in the entire West Bengal. The government claims that this will provide relief in health services to millions of poor and middle class families.
relief to school job candidates
In the cabinet meeting, a decision was also taken to provide relief to the candidates associated with the school recruitment process. The government has decided to increase the upper age limit of job aspirants. It is believed that this decision has been taken keeping in mind the youth who have been waiting for the recruitment process for a long time.
Fencing approved on Bangladesh border
In an important decision related to border security, the state government gave formal approval to transfer 600 acres of land to BSF. This land will be used to strengthen fencing and security infrastructure on the Bangladesh border. Experts are considering this as a big step related to national security.
Old schemes will not be closed
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari made it clear that no public welfare scheme of the previous government will be stopped. However, he also said that the government will identify those who are availing the benefits of the schemes wrongly. He indicated that names of dead persons or non-eligible people would be removed from the list of schemes so that the benefits could reach the genuine beneficiaries.
Big challenge before BJP government
After removing the Mamata Banerjee government which was in power for 15 years, BJP is now in complete rule in West Bengal for the first time. In such a situation, political analysts and the public are keeping an eye on every decision of the new government. The division of ministries and initial decisions clearly indicate that the BJP government is focusing on administrative changes as well as rapid implementation of the central schemes. In the coming days, it will be interesting to see how far the new government is able to live up to the expectations of the people.