RPI's Ramdas Athawale inducted in Modi's Cabinet, says 'will fulfill BR Ambedkar's dream of upliftment of Dalits, poor'

New Delhi: Republican Party of India (RPI) leader Ramdas Athawale, who was inducted in the Union Cabinet on Tuesday, said that he would fulfill Dr BR Ambedkar's dream of upliftment of Dalits and the poor.

"Our aim will be to work for development. Whatever department will be given to me, I will work hard," said the Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra.

Athawale had earlier thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this opportunity and vowed to work for the backward sections of the society.

The much-awaited reshuffle and expansion of the Union Council of Ministers took place at 11 am today and at least 19 new ministers were inducted in the expansion of the union cabinet.

President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

According to sources, the selection framework clearly laid out by the Prime Minister was to bring in "doers and performers", who would deliver on his vision of development and good governance and further his central priority of "Gaon, Garib and Kisan".

BJP MPs SS Ahluwalia, Vijay Goel, Purushottam Rupala, Mansukhbhai Mandavia, Anil Madhav Dave, M J Akbar, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal and Ramdas Athawale of RPI among others most found a place in the expanded Cabinet.

The expansion comes after an exhaustive whetting and selection process to find out the best talent and people, who were assessed on the value they would bring to the Union Council of Ministers, said sources