Hyderabad: Former Telangana BJP chief and Secunderabad Lok Sabha MP G Kishan Reddy has been allotted ministry for Coals and Mines, an official statement said. Earlier, Reddy handled Union ministry of tourism.
Reddy’s biggest challenge will be to ensure an adequate supply of coal to electricity generating plants, which are working overtime to meet peak power demand.
Another area that would need his attention will be increasing private sector participation, expanding coal gasification and production of Coal Bed Methane.
In the mining sector, the lukewarm response from bidders to the first round auction of critical minerals underscores the need for a pragmatic policy approach.
The government had earlier cancelled the auction for 13 of the 20 blocks put on sale in the first tranche of critical minerals as the response was tepid.
Reddy retained the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency with a margin of over 49,000 votes in the recent Lok Sabha polls, defeating his nearest Congress rival Danam Nagender.
Born to middle-class farmer-parents in Ranga Reddy district of Telangana near Hyderabad, he started his political career as an ordinary worker in 1977. He has held important party positions, including the president of the BJP’s state unit and national president of BJP’s Yuva Morcha (BJYM).
As the Union Minister, the leader has held the portfolios of home, tourism, culture and development of the northeast region.
He is also a three-time MLA.
Satish Chandra Dubey, who is considered a strong Brahmin leader of the BJP in Bihar, has been appointed as the Minister of State in the Coal and Mines Ministry in the new government.
Big 4 retain portfolios
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s top four ministers — Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar — have retained their respective home, defence, finance and external affairs portfolios.
Among the new entrants to the Union Cabinet, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been given the agriculture and rural development portfolios, BJP president J P Nadda the health portfolio and former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar the power portfolio.
Nitin Gadkari will continue as road transport minister, while Dharmendra Pradhan will retain his education portfolio.
Kiren Rijiju has been moved from the earth sciences ministry to the parliamentary affairs ministry, while Arjun Ram Meghwal will continue as law minister. Sarbananda Sonowal has retained the shipping portfolio, according to the statement.
Modi and 71 ministers took oath of office and secrecy on Sunday at a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
