Arvind Kejriwal keeps power, water, finance

TNN

New Delhi, 14 Feb 2015: Delhi’s CM-designate, Arvind Kejriwal, will take direct charge of key portfolios such as finance, power and home, while also exercising control over water by virtue of being the chairperson of Delhi Jal Board. Two senior ministers have again been given charge of other priority areas of the government, education and health.

 

Education, along with urban development and PWD portfolio will be retained by would-be deputy CM Manish Sisodia. Last year, Sisodia had started a major drive to list out infrastructural deficiencies in government schools. Health will again be under Satyendra Jain, who will also handle industry. Education and health emerged as Aam Aadmi Party’s key concerns in the Delhi dialogues.

 

Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday night signed an order revoking Central rule in Delhi and appointed Kejriwal as Delhi CM along with six others as cabinet ministers with effect from the date they are sworn in.

 

Deputy CM-designate Manish Sisodia said he would revive the project to revamp government schools and also draft new guidelines for nursery school admissions, to be implemented for the next session in 2016.

 

The remaining four ministers in the cabinet are first-time MLAs. Gopal Rai, senior AAP member and part of its parliamentary affairs committee, will be handling transport and labour. His predecessor in the last government was Saurabh Bharadwaj. Rai’s first concerns will be scrapping the BRT and coming up with alternatives.

 

 

The party also plans to expand the city’s public transport system for which acquisition is highly crucial. Rai may also get charge of environment, another crucial ministry. Both environment and transport will be key ministries for reducing air pollution in Delhi.

 

Jitendra Singh Tomar, an old party hand, will be Delhi’s next law minister. He replaces Somnath Bharti. A lawyer by profession, Tomar contested for the second time this year and finally won.

 

Asim Ahmed Khan, the sole minority face in the cabinet, has been given charge of minority affairs as wellas food and civil supplies. A major concern for Khan will be to implement recent changes in the wholesale markets of Delhi which were deregularized by a notification in September 2014. The new government’s priority, even before taking oath, was to ensure that food prices stay under control during the coming summer months.

 

Sandeep Kumar has been given charge of women and child development and the SC/ST welfare ministries. Kumar, a software engineer, won from Sultanpur Majra, a reserved seat, by over 65,000 votes.