New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today assumed office for a third consecutive term in his South Block office in Delhi following last evening’s swearing-in ceremony, where he led a 72-member Union Council of Ministers into office. The first file that he signed was related to farmers’ welfare scheme ‘PM Kisan Nidhi’.
The immediate agenda for the newly sworn-in Prime Minister includes a Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet is expected to formally request President Droupadi Murmu to summon a session of Parliament. This session will include the President’s address to both houses, outlining the government’s vision and priorities for the upcoming term.
At yesterday’s grand ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Murmu administered the oath of office PM Modi and his cabinet, which includes prominent BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, and S Jaishankar.
The Council of Ministers comprises 30 Cabinet Ministers, five Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and 36 Ministers of State. Among the new inductees are three former chief ministers and actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, the BJP’s first Lok Sabha MP from Kerala.
“This team of ministers is a great blend of youth and experience; we will leave no stone unturned in improving people’s lives. I look forward to serving 140 crore Indians and working with the Council of Ministers to take India to new heights of progress,” PM Modi said in a post on X after the ceremony.
The first meeting of the new cabinet is expected to be held this evening at the Prime Minister’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg. The allocation of ministerial portfolios is anticipated shortly thereafter.
In this new cabinet, significant representation has been given to states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with Bihar securing four cabinet berths and Uttar Pradesh receiving nine ministerial positions. Forty-two ministers are from the Other Backward Class (OBC), Scheduled Caste (SC), and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. However, there is no Muslim representation in the new cabinet.
