Delhi Cabinet Portfolios Announced, Ayushman Scheme Approved in First Meeting
Following the swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP-led government in Delhi on Thursday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta allocated cabinet portfolios to her ministers. Gupta retained several key departments under her leadership, including Finance, Revenue, Vigilance, and Women & Child Development. Additionally, she will oversee any departments that remain unassigned.
Rekha Gupta holds responsibility for Finance, Planning, General Administration (GAD), Women & Child Development, Services, Revenue, Land & Building, Information & Public Relations, Vigilance, and Administrative Reforms.
First Cabinet Meeting and Ayushman Scheme Approval
On the same day as the swearing-in, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta chaired the first cabinet meeting, during which significant policy decisions were made. A key highlight was the approval of the Ayushman scheme for Delhi residents. In a press conference, Gupta announced that the scheme had been unanimously passed. Under this scheme, ₹5 lakh will be provided by the Delhi government, with an additional ₹5 lakh from the central government, ensuring total health coverage of ₹10 lakh for beneficiaries. The implementation of the scheme will begin soon.
Portfolio Allocations to Ministers
Alongside the Chief Minister’s key responsibilities, other ministers received their portfolios as follows:
– Pravesh Sahib Singh Verma: Public Works Department (PWD), Legislative Affairs, Finance Commission, Water, and Gurudwara Elections.
– Ashish Sood: Home, Power, Urban Development, Education, Higher Education, Training, and Technical Education.
– Manjinder Singh Sirsa: Industries, Food & Supplies, Forest & Environment, and Planning.
– Ravindra Singh Indraj: Social Welfare, SC/ST Welfare, Corporation, and Elections.
– Kapil Mishra: Law & Justice, Labor & Employment, Development, Art & Culture, Language, and Tourism.
– Dr. Pankaj Kumar Singh: Health, Transport, and Information Technology.
Swearing-In Ceremony Highlights
Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena administered the oath of office to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her cabinet ministers at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from NDA-ruled states.
The BJP has returned to power in Delhi after 27 years. Rekha Gupta is the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi, following Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi. Gupta achieved victory in the Shalimar Bagh assembly constituency by defeating Aam Aadmi Party’s Bandana Kumari with a margin of over 29,000 votes.
With the first major policy decision taken, the new government is now focused on fulfilling its promises to the people of Delhi.
