Portfolios Allotted: Forests to Yogeshwar, Asnotikar Gets Fisheries
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Aug 16: Four days after the second round of expansion of the D V Sadananda Gowda cabinet, the five persons inducted into the State Cabinet as ministers have been allotted portfolios.
However, the allotment of portfolios to the newly inducted cabinet ministers by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda does not hold any big suprises. Significantly, none of the five have been able to get the portfolios they had been demanding, which was the main reason for the delay in allotment of responsibilities.
The Forest portfolio, held by C H Vijayashankar in the ousted previous chief minister B S Yeddyurappa cabinet, has been given to C P Yogeshwar.
It may be recalled that Yogeshwar had been demanding the Water Resources or Irrigation portfolio.
Another independent member Varthur Prakash, who had made no secret of his wish for getting the Revenue or Transport portfolios, has to content with the relatively insignificant Textiles portfolio.
Narasimha Nayak also known as Raju Gowda has been allocated the Small Scale Industry portfolio while Balachandra Jarkiholi has given portfolio of Municipal Administration, which he held earlier.
Anand Asnotikar, who hails from coastal Uttar Kannada district, too has been given same portfolio of Science and Technology and Fisheries, which he held earlier.
In the first round of cabinet expansion, in which as many as 21 ministers comprising those who were part of the erstwhile Yeddyurappa ministry were inducated, the Chief Minister had allocated the same portfolios that were held by them earlier.
However, the Chief Minister is expected to make changes in the portfolios after the third and probably the final round of expansion of his ministry probably later this week. As many as seven ministerial berths are vacant out of the total permissible size of 34.
DVS Reviews Progress of Five Deparments
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister on Tuesday, reviewed the progress of implementation of various projects and schemes of five departments – Agriculture, Horticulture, Irrigation, Cooperation and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
Sadananda Gowda also took stock of the progress in sowing operations in the current kharif season, distribution of seeds and fertilizers, release of funds under the Suvarna Bhoomi scheme and disbursal of crop loans at one per cent rate of interest by cooperatives to farmers.
Ministers, principal secretaries and secretaries of the respective departments and ministers were present at the review meet.
The Chief Minister would review progress of five more departments on Wednesday, officials in the Chief Minister’s office said.