On September 3,2017, the cabinet got extended and reshuffled for the third time. Modi expanded his council of ministers twice–first on November 9, 2014 and then on July 5, 2016. Nine new Ministers of state were inducted into the Union Council of Ministers. Four Ministers of state were elevated to the cabinet rank.
Ministers of State who got into Cabinet Rank: –
The ministers promoted were Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and Nirmala Sitharaman.
1) Nirmala Sitharaman
She is promoted to ministry of defence. She is the first full time independent women defence minister. Prior to her, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi held the defence portfolio as an additional charge on two occasions. Prior to her defence ministry was under Arun Jaitley now he sheds Defence and will retain the Finance Ministry. He will however attend an international meeting of Defence Ministers in Japan.
Commerce and Industries department which was held by Nirmala sitharaman is now transferred to Suresh Prabhu who exits as railway minister.
2) Piyush goyal
The railway department which was held by suresh prabhu is now transferred to Piyush Goyal. Apart from Railways, Piyush Goyal retains the ministry of coal.
3) Dharmendra Pradhan
Dharmendra Pradhan, now cabinet minister, will continue to have charge of Petroleum and Natural Gas and will also be minister for skill development and entrepreneurship, which Rajiv Pratap Rudy gave up two days ago.
4) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Minority Affairs Minister Muqtar Abbas Naqvi continues in his departments as a Cabinet minister.
New members to the Cabinet : –
1) Shiv Pratap Shukla
- Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development.
- He served as a Cabinet Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government for 8 years, and is known for his work in Rural Development, Education and Prison reform during his tenure.
- A Law Graduate with an LLB from Gorakhpur University, Shiv Pratap Shukla started off early in politics as a student leader in the 1970s.
- He was imprisoned for 19 months under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency.
2) Ashwini Kumar Choubey
- Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar. He is member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates and Standing Committee on Energy. He is also a Member of Central Silk Board.
- Ashwini Kumar Choubey has been elected for 5 consecutive terms to the Bihar Legislative Assembly. He has held important portfolios including Health, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering as a Cabinet Minister of the Government of Bihar for 8 years.
- Starting early in politics as the President of the Student`s Union of Patna University, Ashwini Kumar Choubey was an active part of the JP movement in the 1970s. He was taken into custody during the Emergency under MISA.
- He has helped construct 11,000 toilets for Mahadalit families.
- Having faced the disastrous Kedarnath floods with his family in 2013, Ashwini Kumar Choubey has authored a book Kedarnath Trasadi on the tragedy.
3)Virendra Kumar
- Shri Virendra Kumar is a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh. He has had a distinguished career in Public Service as a 6 term Lok Sabha MP.
- Virendra Kumar is the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour, and has been Chairman of the Joint Committee on Office of Profit and a Member of National Social Security Board.
- Virendra Kumar had actively participated in the JP movement of the 1970s, and went to jails for 16 months under MISA during the Emergency. He had initiated a movement for solving the problems faced by students and opened a library for their assistance..
4)Anantkumar Hegde
- Shri Anantkumar Hegde is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Human Resource Development.
- Having been elected as an MP for the first time at the young age of 28 years, Anantkumar Hedge is now a 5th term Lok Sabha MP.
- He has also been a member of the Spices Board of India for 4 terms.
- He is a practitioner of Tae-kwon-do, a Korean Martial Art.
5)Raj Kumar Singh
- Shri Raj Kumar Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, Bihar. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances and Law & Justice.
- Raj Kumar Singh is a former IAS officer of the 1975 batch, Bihar cadre.
- In an illustrious career before, he served in multiple important roles of responsibility including Defence Production Secretary and Joint Secretary Home; as well as heading Home, Industries, Public Works and Agriculture amongst other departments in the Bihar Government. He is known for his contributions to schemes for Police Modernization and Prison Modernization, and laying down a framework for Disaster Management.
6)Hardeep Singh Puri
- Shri Hardeep Puri is a decorated former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, known for his experience and expertise in foreign policy and national security.
- Hardeep Puri is the President and Chairman of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) think tank, and was the Vice President of International Peace Institute, New York.
- As Head of the Indian Delegation to the UN Security Council, Hardeep Puri had served as Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN as well as President of the United Nations Security Council.
7)Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
- Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is a Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and Chairperson of the Fellowship Committee.
- His popularity on social media exemplifies his connect with the youth of today.
- A sports enthusiast, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has participated at National and All India Inter University level in Basket Ball. He currently is a Member of the All India Council of Sports and the President of Basketball India Players Association.
8)Satya Pal Singh
- Shri Satya Pal Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs and Chairperson of the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit.
- Satya Pal Singh is a distinguished former IPS officer of the 1980 batch, Maharashtra cadre, and has been recognized with medals like the Antrik Suraksha Sewa Padak by Government of India in 2008 and a Special Service Medal for extraordinary work in the Naxalite areas of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 1990.
- Satya Pal Singh has written best-selling books, including on topics like tribal conflict resolution and Naxalism. He is a scholar of Vedic studies and Sanskrit, and regularly delivers lectures on spirituality, religious harmony and corruption.
9)Alphons Kannanthanam
- Shri Alphons Kannanthanam is a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre. He is also a practicing advocate.
- Alphons Kannanthanam became famous as Delhi’s Demolition Man when he was Commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority, having cleared DDA areas of encroachment removing around 15,000 illegal buildings. This got him listed in Time Magazine’s list of 100 Young Global Leaders in 1994.
- Alphons Kannanthanam set up Janshakti, an NGO in 1994, to get citizens to believe in their ability to make government accountable to people.
- Alphons Kannanthanam retired from the IAS, to get elected as an Independent Member of Legislative Assembly for Kanjirappally in Kerala from 2006 to 2011.
- He is a Member of the Committee to prepare the final draft of the National Education Policy 2017.
- Alphons Kannanthanam has authored a bestselling book “Making A Difference”
