Instead of brining in new faces Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday made a few changes in her Ministry giving additional charges to some Ministers to fill the vacancies created by death and illness.
Accordingly the Panchayat Ministry will be looked after by Pulak Roy in addition to his present charge. Roy is presently the Public Health Engineering Minister. The Panchayat ministry fell vacant following the death of senior minister Subrata Mukherjee.
Besides, the Chief Minister has kept the Finance Ministry with herself appointing Chandrima Bhattacharya as the Minister of State for the said Department. Bhattacharya will handle Finance portfolio in addition to her Urban Development Department. She is also the MoS of the Health Department which is again with the Chief Minister.
Bhattacharya was given the Finance portfolio because Finance Minister Amit Mitra’s term came to an end on Tuesday. An indisposed Mitra had withdrawn from active politics and did not contest the Assembly elections.
Minister for Industries and Commerce and Parliamentary Affairs Partho Chatterjee will now hold in addition the ministry of Public Enterprise and Industrial Construction. This was earlier held by Subrata Mukherjee.
Sashi Panja, who is the minister for social welfare and women and child welfare development department, will also hold the self-help group and self-employment department.