Union Cabinet expansion: JD-U's Ramchandra Prasad Singh sworn in as Cabinet minister

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government on Wednesday got a makeover with the induction of 43 new members in the Council of Ministers at a simple ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The major shake-up of the Union Council of Ministers represents the “lives, hopes and aspirations of 130 crore Indians.”

Janata Dal-United leader Ramchandra Prasad Singh was among those who were administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind. 

Singh is currently a Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar serving his second term as MP.  He is a retired IAS officer of the 1984 batch, having served over 25 years across various capacities and domains.

In the new Council of Ministers, there are four former Chief Ministers, 18 former state ministers, 39 former MLAs and 23 MPs who have been elected for three or more terms.

This demonstrates the wealth of experience in the new Cabinet as the government has been criticised for lack of bench strength and not having enough heft in administrative experience.

The new Council of Ministers boasts of an eclectic mix of distinguished qualifications, including 13 lawyers, six doctors, five engineers, seven former civil servants, and 46 ministers with experience in Central government.

This is also a young-looking Cabinet with an average age of 58, with 14 ministers below the age of 50 years. In terms of gender, 11 women will be part of the Council of Ministers, including two with Cabinet rank.

There are five ministers from the minorities - 1 Muslim, 1 Sikh, 2 Buddhists and 1 Christian. In addition, there is a strong OBC representation with 27 OBC ministers, including five with Cabinet rank, eight ST ministers including three with Cabinet rank, and 12 SC ministers with two with Cabinet rank.

The induction of the new faces was preceded by the resignations of as many as 11 ministers.

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