HYDERABAD: Finance minister T. Harish Rao has been given the additional portfolio of medical and health on Tuesday. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan gave her nod to this effect on the advice of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
The post of medical and health minister has been lying vacant since Etala Rajender was stripped off this portfolio on May 1 by the Chief Minister and subsequently removed from the Cabinet on May 2 on allegations of assigned land encroachments.
But unofficially Harish has been handling this portfolio as he attended review meetings conducted by Chief Minister on medical and health department on a few occasions. Harish Rao also accompanied the Chief Minister to Gandhi Hospital in May to inspect the facilities being provided to Covid patients.
This development fuelled speculations in the TRS circles that Harish is getting more prominence in the party and the government after Rajendar's exit. Harish was appointed as TRS in-charge for the recent Huzurabad Assembly bypoll to take on BJP's Etala Rajender.
But after the TRS lost the bypoll, there was speculation that Harish may again be sidelined as he could not ensure victory for the TRS in Dubbak and Huzurabad bypolls, for which he was the party's in-charge.
However, the Chief Minister handing over medical and health portfolio to Harish
doused these speculations. Harish was also seen sitting beside the Chief Minister in the back-to-back press conferences held at Pragathi Bhavan on Sunday and Monday.
