BHOPAL, 13 August — Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh yesterday inducted 14 new ministers into his four-year-old government, raising the total number of ministers to 40. Five legislators were made Cabinet ministers and nine ministers of state.
In addition, six ministers of state with independent charge were elevated to the cabinet rank.
Governor Bhai Mahavir administered to them the oaths of office and secrecy.
The new Cabinet ministers are Prem Narayan Thakur, Rakesh Singh, Rajmani Patel, Bisahu Lal Singh and Ganpast Singh Ukiey. The six ministers who have been promoted as Cabinet ministers are Govind Singh, Bala Bachchan, Vir Singh Raghuwanshi, Satyendra Pathak, Raja Pateria and Ghanshyam Patidar.
The chief minister told reporters that the exercise aimed to correct the "regional and caste imbalances" in his council of ministers created by the formation of Chhattisgarh, which was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in November 2000.
When Chhattisgarh was created, 13 Madhya Pradesh ministers went to the new state.
According to the guidelines laid down by Congress party President Sonia Gandhi, first-term Dalit or lowest Hindu caste legislators were inducted, Digvijay said.
The chief minister defended the size of his ministerial council, saying state governments in neighboring Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra had more ministers.
Dalit, tribal and backward Hindu caste legislators now form 80 percent of Digvijay’s Cabinet. Digvijay’s Congress party has 127 members in the 230-seat Madhya Pradesh Assembly. Assembly elections are due in November 2003.
