Modi Cabinet Formation HIGHLIGHTS: Big 4 retain portfolios as PM Modi banks on continuity, Shivraj Singh Chouhan appointed Agriculture Minister

The announcement of portfolios draws to a close a crucial aspect of government formation. While the BJP has retained key ministries and portfolios, it has ceded some space to allies in a bid to strike a key balance. The next battle is likely to play out after the oath ceremony of the newly elected MPs in Lok Sabha when the election for the new Speaker is held. Allies JD(U) and TDP have sought the post for their party representatives. It is not clear whether the BJP is willing to relent to the pressure from allies on this key position. The government has called a special session of the House on June 18 when the remaining procedure including the inauguration of the 18th Lok Sabha, the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, the oath-taking of new MPs and a decision on the Budget date is expected to be taken.

It is a wrap for us for now. Please refer here for the Full list of ministers and their portfolios in the Modi 3.0 Cabinet.

Dharmendra Pradhan has returned as the Minister of Education in the Modi 3.0 government. His entry into the Cabinet rules him out of the race for the chair of Odisha's Chief Minister.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will serve as the Minister of Power and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Dr S Jaishankar will continue as the Minister of External Affairs. Jaishankar is set to accompany PM Narendra Modi in his overseas visit to Italy to attend the G7 Summit.

Former BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda has been handed the charge as Minister of Health and Family Welfare, and Chemicals and Fertilisers.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan will mark his debut in the Union Cabinet as the Food Processing minister.

Nirmala Sitharaman is set to continue as the Finance Minister in the new Modi government, sources said. The appointment signals continuity in government with PM Modi retaining key leaders in ministries they handled in the previous NDA government.

It has been decided in the Union Cabinet meeting today to provide assistance to 3 crore additional rural and urban households for the construction of houses, to meet the housing requirements arising out of the increase in the number of eligible families.

Govt of India is implementing Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana since 2015-16 to provide assistance to the eligible rural and urban households for construction of houses with basic amenities. Under PMAY, total total 4.21 Crore houses have been completed for the eligible poor families under the housing schemes in the last 10 years.

All the houses constructed under PMAY are provided the other basic amenities such as Household Toilets, LPG connection, Electricity connection, Functional Household Tap Connection etc. through convergence with other schemes of Central Government and State Governments.

(ANI)

A total of 71 ministers, including 30 Cabinet ministers, 5 Ministers of State with independent charge and 36 junior ministers were sworn in alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. The allocation of portfolios is expected to be announced at a meeting of the Union Cabinet currently underway at the residence of the Prime Minister.

The Cabinet protfolios are set to be announced any moment now. Newly sworn-in ministers have started to arrive for the first meeting for the Union Cabinet scheduled to begin shortly. The portfolios are expected to be announced at the Cabinet meeting. Ministers are expected to assume charge of their respective ministries tomorrow. As per reports, a 100-day agenda has been set for the government and the ministries will be expected to begin working on it immediately.

The government formation process in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha will begin June 12 with the swearing-in ceremonies scheduled to be held on the same day in both states. TDP's Chandrababu Naidu is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in the first half of Wednesday. The swearing-in ceremony has been scheduled for the evening in Odisha, where the BJP is set to form its first state government. There is still no official word on who the new Odisha CM will be. Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram, two senior leaders from Odisha who were said to be in the reckoning for the CM's post, have been inducted into the Union Cabinet.

The Union Cabinet of 71 ministers led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet in the capital on Monday. The meeting comes amid heightened suspense over the allocation of portfolios to the newly sworn-in ministers. Thirty Cabinet ministers, 5 Ministers of State with independent charge and 36 junior ministers were administered oath by President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday.

As all eyes remain glued to developments around the portfolio allocation in the new Cabinet, a certain degree of uncertainty continues to haunt some key ministries. The Union Ministry of Finance, headed by Nirmala Sitharaman for the most part of PM Modi's tenure following Arun Jaitley's demise, is one among them. Will Nirmala Sitharaman continue as the Finance Minister? The Cabinet meeting likely to be held this evening may offer some clues.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, under pressure from allies to yield plum posts, is unlikely to yield and is set to retain key ministries such as Home, Defence, Finance, External Affairs, Railways and Road Transport and Highways for itself. While Railways is believed to be one of the portfolios that Nitish Kumar's JD(U) has demanded, the Chandrababu-led TDP has set its eyes on the post of the Lok Sabha Speaker among other key ministries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assumed charge for a third consecutive term. A meeting of the Union Cabinet, the first under this government, is expected to be scheduled for this evening. The meeting could offer details regarding portfolios that have been allocated to the 71 ministers who took oath on Sunday. The Modi Cabinet has 60 members of the BJP and 11 from other parties in the NDA alliance.