edited by: Oindrila Mukherjee
Last Update: March 15, 2023, 23:45 IST
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann handed over his portfolio of employment generation and training to the third senior-most minister in the cabinet, Aman Arora, who is the AAP MLA from Sunam. (Image: @Aman Arora/Twitter)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann snatched two key portfolios from senior AAP MLA Aman Arora – public relations as well as housing and urban development
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday reshuffled the portfolios of five ministers and wrote a letter to Governor Banwarilal Purohit seeking approval for the cabinet reshuffle. The chief minister took away two key portfolios – public relations as well as housing and urban development – from senior AAP MLA Aman Arora. The decision to reshuffle the portfolio was taken on the completion of one year of the Mann-led government.
Mann reshuffled the portfolios of five ministers – Arora, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Laljit Singh Bhullar, Chetan Singh Jauramajra and Anmol Gagan Mann. CM will now keep housing and urban development, which was earlier with Arora, while public relations has been given to Jauramajra.
Arora is the third senior-most minister in the cabinet after Mann and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. An official communique sent to Purohit also proposed to remove the governance reforms portfolio from Haier and address grievances from Mann. The CM has given these two portfolios to Arora, along with one of his own – employment generation and training.
The sudden cabinet reshuffle is being discussed in hushed tones in the corridors of power. Though government sources described it as routine, the reshuffle comes amid reports of tension within the government over release of funds for advertisements by administrative secretaries of various departments instead of the Public Relations Department.
Just a few days ago, Public Relations Secretary Rahul Bhandari was suddenly transferred, raising many eyebrows. In the last cabinet reshuffle in January, when Dr Balbir Singh was inducted as Fauja Singh Sarairi’s replacement, Jauramajra had to leave the health portfolio and was given the charge of Defense Services Welfare, Food Processing and Horticulture, which This was seen as a thug. Food processing is now proposed to be given to Bhullar, who is also the transport minister.
Raj Bhavan has received a letter from the CM for reallocation of portfolios, but the Governor is yet to sign the file, following which a notification will be issued.
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