NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded his council of ministers in a bid to boost the government’s agenda and kick-start the economy.

Twenty-one new ministers took the oath of office at a brief ceremony at the presidential palace in New Delhi.

The portfolios of the new ministers and the reshuffle of the ministries held by other Cabinet and council members were not announced immediately.

Modi, who took office in May after sweeping to power with a massive mandate in elections, now heads a 66-member council of ministers, with 27 of the ministers holding Cabinet rank.

Notable among the new Cabinet ministers is Manohar Parrikar, who resigned Saturday as the chief minister of the state of Goa in western India.

Other newcomers to the council of ministers include Rajyavardhan Rathore, an Olympic silver medalist turned politician, and Babul Supriyo, a playback singer in Indian films who is a first-time lawmaker from West Bengal state.

Modi has been pushing an economic growth agenda that has begun to show results. For the first time, GDP growth increased to 5.7 percent in the first quarter, after two years of economic slowdown that saw growth remain under 5 percent. Modi has promised to get growth back up to the 8 percent it averaged for a decade up to 2012.

The expansion will come as a relief to several ministers who were holding more than one portfolio. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who held the two heavy-duty portfolios of finance and defense, was widely expected to be relieved of the responsibilities of the defense ministry.

Although Modi had promised during the election campaign that if elected he would head a lean government, political analysts said the expansion became necessary because ministers were overburdened, slowing Modi’s economic reform agenda.

With Parliament due to resume later this month, a strong ministerial team could enable Modi to push through key legislation, said Neerja Choudhury, a political analyst.