Guwahati, June 18: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday took charge of the health and family welfare department, in a minor reshuffle of the state Cabinet, necessitated by the resignation of Parimal Suklabaidya from the Council of Ministers, following the latter’s election to the Lok Sabha from Silchar parliamentary constituency recently.
A notification issued by the parliamentary affairs department here on Tuesday stated that, in addition to the health and family welfare department, chief minister Sarma will continue to hold the portfolios of home, personnel, public works, medical education and research, indigenous and tribal faith and culture (except the directorate of library and museum and directorate of archaeology), and any other department not allotted to any other minister.
The health portfolio was earlier held by minister Keshab Mahanta, who has been reallocated the departments of transport, excise and fisheries, which were held by former minister Suklabaidya, in addition to his earlier portfolios of science, technology and climate change, and information technology.