Goa CM Pramod Sawant allocates portfolios; retains Home, Finance Ministry

In his second term as the chief minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant on Sunday allocated portfolios to his cabinet colleagues while retaining crucial Home and Finance departments with himself.

A notification allotting portfolios to the eight MLAs of BJP, who took oath on Mach 28 in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was issued on Sunday.

Sawant will hold the charge of Home, Finance, Personnel, Vigilance, and Official languages departments in the state.

Vishwajit Rane, who had unsuccessfully lobbied for the CM's post, has been given crucial Health and Town and Country Planning Portfolios along with Urban Development, Women and Child, and Forest departments.

Mauvin Godinho has been allotted Transport, Industries, Panchayat and Protocol portfolios.

Ravi Naik has been given Agriculture, Handicrafts, and Civil Supplies portfolios.

The crucial Public Works Department portfolio has been allotted to Nilesh Cabral along with Legislative Affairs, Environment and Law and Judiciary portfolios.

Subhash Shirodkar has been allotted Water Resources Department, Co-operation and Provedoria portfolios while Rohan Khaunte is given Tourism, Information and Technology and Printing and Stationary departments.

Govind Gaude will be Minister for Sports, Art and Culture and RDA and Atanasio Monserratte has been allotted Revenue, Labour and Waste Management portfolios.

Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate, who defeated former chief minister the late Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal from the Panaji seat, has been allotted Revenue, Labour and Waste Management portfolios.

Rane, Godinho, Cabral and Gaude were part of the Sawant-led cabinet from 2019-22, while Khaunte was a minister in the Parrikar-headed government and was dropped from the cabinet in 2019.

The chief minister can induct three more ministers into the state cabinet.

Goa BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade had last week said that a decision on three cabinet berths lying vacant will be taken "within a month or two".

BJP emerged as the single largest party in Goa, winning 20 seats in the 40-member state Assembly and reducing Congress to 11 seats.

Three independent MLAs and two legislators of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have extended their support to the BJP.

With agency inputs