9 new faces inducted, Nirmala gets defence, Piyush Rail

Before embarking on a state visit to attend BRICS summit conference in Xiamen city of China Prime Minister Narendra Modi reshuffled and expanded his council of ministers on Sunday. In a major decision commerce and industries minister Nirmala Sitharaman was not only elevated to the cabinet minister rank but she was also given the charge of crucial defence portfolio bringing her into the Cabinet Committee on Security and in the league of top five ministers that include Prime Minister, Home Minister, Defence Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister.

In yet another significant move, Suresh Prabhu was shunted out of Railway Ministry and Power Minister Piyush Goyal was given the charge of Railways following a spate of derailments and accidents in Railways, Piyush Goyal will continue to hold the additional charge of  Coal Minister.

Dharmendra Pradhan was elevated to cabinet rank in the same Petroleum Ministry with additional responsibility Skill ministry.

President Ramnath Kovind administered the oath of office and secrecy to cabinet minister Nirmala Sitharam at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Sunday, 03 September, 2017

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was elevated to the status of cabinet minister in the minority affairs ministry.

In addition to this, 9 new faces have been inducted in Cabinet expansion.

Four top professionals with diverse background and rich administrative experience make it to the Union Cabinet. President Ramnath Kovind administers oath of office and secrecy to former Home Secretary RK Singh, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, former IAS officer K. Alphonse and former diplomat Hardeep Puri as new Ministers.

President Ramnath Kovind administered the oath of office and secrecy to minister of state Shiv Pratap Shukla at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Sunday, 03 September, 2017

Shiv Pratap Shukla is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and also a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development. He has a long experience in Uttar Pradesh politics and is known for his work in Rural Development, Education and Prison reform during his tenure. A Law Graduate, Shukla was also jailed for 19 months MISA during the Emergency.

Representing Buxar Lok Sabha constituency of Bihar, Ashwini Kumar Choubey also has a long experience in public life. Active in politics since his college days, Choubey was very active in JP movement in the 1970s and was also jailed during the Emergency under MISA. He played important role in construction of 11,000 toilets for Mahadalit families.

Six time Lok Sabha MP Virendra Kumar represents Tikamgah constituency in Madhya Pradesh. He actively took part in the JP movement and was jailed for 16 months under MISA during the Emergency. Coming from the Scheduled Caste community, Virendra Kumar has dedicated his life to its service.

The updated comprehensive list of union council of ministers are given below:

(As on 03.09.2017)

(Incorporates changes in the Council of Ministers as on 03.09.2017)