New Delhi: The Union Cabinet saw a major reshuffle and expansion on Wednesday, when 12 ministers were dropped by the Narendra Modi government and 36 new ones were sworn in, while seven were promoted.
Among those who were dropped were health minister Harsh Vardhan, information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar and information technology & law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Mansukh Mandaviya will be the new health minister, while Anurag Thakur, who was the junior finance minister, will now take charge of the sports and information and broadcasting portfolios.
A new ministry, called the Ministry of Cooperation, was created on Wednesday morning, with home minister Amit Shah taking additional charge of this portfolio.
The Union council of ministers, which can have 81 members, now has 78 ministers including the prime minister. The Wire is publishing the full list of ministers and the portfolios they have been given.