A major reshuffle of portfolios was effected by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday, and four newly inducted ministers were assigned their departments. Sarma will hold Home, Public Works Building and National Highways, Public Works Roads, and Medical Education and Research departments, with some portfolios assigned to other ministers.

He will also be in charge of Personnel and any other department not assigned to other ministers, an official notification said. Among the new ministers, Prasanta Phukan has been allotted Power and Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship departments, and will assist the chief minister in the Medical Education and Research department.

Kaushik Rai will hold Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs, Mines and Minerals, and the newly created Barak Valley Development departments. Departments of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, and Fishery have been allocated to Krishnendu Paul, who will also assist the CM in Public Works Roads department, the notification signed by Chief Secretary Ravi Kota said.

Rupesh Gowala has been given Labour Welfare and Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare departments, besides assisting the CM in the Home department. Ajanta Neog retained both her departments – Finance and Women and Child Development.

The Health and Family Welfare department was assigned to Ashok Singhal, who retained the Irrigation department. Atul Bora has been given charge of the Excise department, besides his existing portfolios of Agriculture, Border Protection and Development, Horticulture and Implementation of Assam Accord.

Among the departments allocated anew are Tourism department to Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Revenue and Disaster Management to Keshab Mahanta, Parliamentary Affairs and Housing and Urban Affairs to Jayanta Malla Baruah.