Agencies
NEW DELHI, May 22: Manmohan Singh has taken the oath of office for his second term as Prime Minister of India following the Congress party's overwhelming Manmohan Singh election victory.
President Pratibha Patil administered the oath of office and secrecy to Singh and his core Cabinet in an elaborate ceremony on Friday in New Delhi's imposing red-stone presidential palace.
The 76-year-old Singh read out his oath of office in English. After the Prime Minister, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee was the next to take oath as a Cabinet minister.
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, A K Antony, P Chidambaram, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, former Chief Ministers S M Krishna, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Veerappa Moily were sworn in as Cabinet ministers after the Prime Minister and Mukherjee in that order.
Singh is the first prime minister since the country's post-independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru to be returned to office after completing a full term.
Congress had campaigned hard on a poverty-alleviation platform for India's rural millions, and voters also responded to the image of Singh as a steady, pragmatic leader capable of steering the country through an economic downturn.
His coalition won 262 seats in the 543-member national parliament, just 10 short of the 272 needed for a working majority.
The alliance quickly garnered pledges of support from independents and others to take its voting strength to 322.
Team Manmohan:
Pranab Mukherjee
Sharad Pawar,
A K Antony,
Kamal Nath
P Chidambaram,
Mamata Banerjee,
S M Krishna
Meira Kumar,
Murli Deora,
Kapil Sibal
Ambika Soni,
Ghulam Nabi Azad,
Sushil K Shinde
Veerappa Moily,
Jaipal Reddy,
Vyalar Ravi
B K Handique,
Anand Sharma,
C P Joshi
First priority restoring economy : Manmohan Singh
New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday said the new government's focus will be on restoring the economy and ensure inclusive growth.
"Our first priority is to restore the economy, especially keeping the global recession (in mind)," the prime minister told reporters after assuming office for a second term after his Congress party's sweeping win in the general election.
"Industrial production is down. Certain sectors need revival, though the Indian economy is not so badly affected. Corrected measures have to be taken. Growth will be our main focus. And when I mean growth, I mean inclusive growth that will carry everyone along, including the underprivileged in the country," he said.
Cabinet berth unexpected, says Krishna
New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): Veteran Congress leader S.M. Krishna Friday termed his induction in the central cabinet as "unexpected".
Krishna told a television news channel that "it was an unexpected call" for him as he was asked to be present for the swearing-in ceremony Friday evening at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Former Karnataka chief minister Krishna, however, denied the suggestion that he was being rewarded for his "loyalty" to the Gandhi family.
Referring to his successful electoral battles in his home state, Krishna said: "I have established my own identity and significance in Karnataka politics and this has been taken into account for my induction in the cabinet."
Refusing to confirm or deny the speculation that he might be given the external affairs portfolio, Krishna said he would work with whichever ministry "the prime minister allocates" him.