Telangana Cabinet: KCR hits sixer, Harish Rao gets finance, KTR old jobs

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday filled up the Cabinet by inducting six ministers including Mr T. Harish Rao and TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao. Mr Harish Rao was sworn in first in view of his seniority, and given the finance portfolio.

Mr Rama Rao, who took the oath next, retained his previous portfolios of information technology and communications, municipal administration and urban development and industries.

Former home minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and Legislative Council member Satyavathi Rathod became the first women ministers of the new state. Ms Indra Reddy had joined the TRS recently from the Congress.

Apart from Ms Rathod of Warangal, a first-time minister, Mr Chandrase-khar Rao also inducted two fresh faces: Mr Gan-gula Kamlakar of Karim-nagar and Mr P. Ajay Kumar from Khammam.

Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, who took charge earlier in the day, administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers at Raj Bhavan in the presence of the Chief Minister. The ceremony commenced at 4.14 pm and was wrapped up in 15 minutes. After taking the oath, all the ministers except Ms Indra Reddy took the blessings of Mr Chandrasekhar Rao by touching his feet. The first expansion of the Cabinet took place in February.

When Mr Harish Rao and Mr Rao were invited to take the oath, the Raj Bhavan premises resounded with the slogans of their followers. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao had to gesture to calm them down.

Mr Harish Rao’s exclusion from the Cabinet had come as a surprise as he was credited with finishing most of the work undertaken on the Rs 80,190-crore Kaleshwaram project. He was not invited during the launch of the project earlier this year. Mr Rama Rao had also received praise for his work as IT minister.

The Chief Minister allocated the portfolios in the evening. Ms Indra Reddy was allocated education, held by Mr G. Jagadish Reddy and he has been given energy, his previous ministry.

Mr Kamlakar was allocated the BC welfare, food and civil supplies and consumer affairs departments and Ms Satyavathi Rathod was ST welfare and women and child welfare departments.

Mr Puvvada Ajay Kumar was given the transport department which was being held by legislative affairs minister Vemula Prashant Reddy.