Manohar Parrikar is the new Defence Minister and Suresh Prabhu will head the Railway Ministry in the Council of Ministers which was expanded yesterday. Portfolios of some of the Ministers have also been reshuffled. Mr Parrikar, who quit as Goa Chief Minister on Saturday to join the Union Cabinet, takes over the charge from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who held the Defence portfolio as an additional charge. Mr. Jaitley has been given the additional charge of Information and Broadcasting Ministry. J P Nadda, who also joined the Cabinet, gets the portfolio of Health and Family Welfare, which was held by Dr. Harsh Vardhan. Dr. Harsh Vardhan has been shifted to the Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Ministry.

Haryana leader Chaudhary Birender Singh, is the new Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation, a charge held by Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari till now after the death of Gopinath Munde. D V Sadananda Gowda, has been shifted from the Railways Ministry, and made the Law and Justice Minister, relieving Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from the charge. Rajiv Pratap Rudy is the new Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry with Independent Charge. He has also got the charge of Parliamentary Affairs as MoS along with Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Mr Naqvi is also MoS for Minority Affairs with Najma Heptulla retained as the Cabinet Minister.

Newly inducted Ministers of Sate with independent charge, Bandaru Dattatray gets the charge of Labour and Employment, while Dr. Mahesh Sharma has been given Culture and Tourism Ministry. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore will be the Minister of State in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Babul Supriyo Baral is the new MoS in Urban Development ministry while Jayant Sinha, MoS Finance.