21:00 Hardeep Singh Puri served as India's Ambassador to the UN in New York and Geneva has been appointed Minister of State (independent charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
A decorated former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, Hardeep Puri, has a four decade long distinguished career in diplomacy, foreign policy and national security.
For full profile click here
19:35 As Railway Minister, on recommendations of the government think-tank Niti Aayyog, Suresh Prabhu ended the 92-year-old practice of a separate Railway Budget, merging it with the Union Budget. The minister argued that the integration of the general and railway budgets would help create an effective national transportation policy.
This seasoned politician from Maharashtra was formerly associated with the Shiv Sena. He served four tenures as a Member of the Lok Sabha from Maharashtra's Rajapur constituency before joining the Cabinet.
Prabhu was Power Minister in the Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and worked extensively on the river-linking project, which is finally being greenlighted by Modi.
Read the full story here: Suresh Prabhu travels from Railways to Commerce: Did derailments end his three-year journey?
19:00 I will join tomorrow, get briefing, will try to understand the department: Hardeep Singh Puri, new Housing & Urban Affairs Minister, tweets ANI.
18:00 Here are some of the key challenges Piyush Goyal is about to face as the Railway Minister in the cabinet:
# The Indian Railways have always been questioned on issues of safety with many reported rail accidents in the recent past. The Indore-Patna railway derailment in 2016 killed 65 people alone in 2016 while the Utkal Express derailment in Uttar Pradesh in 2017 claimed around 23 lives and injured many.
# Railway Finances is also a major point of concern for Goyal as the Railway Ministry has suffered poor operating ratios in the past. The annual rate of cost has not been able to keep pace with the revenues generated in the Railways Ministry.
For other challenges that Goyal could face, click here
17:30 Sitharaman now becomes only the second woman after Indira Gandhi to take charge of the high-profile ministry, and is the first full-fledged woman defence minister.
In interviews to the media after her elevation as a cabinet minister Sitharaman said, "I am just overwhelmed and humbled. I can serve the country with something which is constantly on the top of my mind."
To a query whether her elevation showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment towards women empowerment, she said the Prime Minister has always been in favour. "I know his working style since the time he was in Gujarat. He always believed in giving women their due share. His belief is that women can also perform," she said.
Read full story here: Women to the fore: After Swaraj and Irani, Sitharaman gets top billing
17:00 The cherry-picked set of former civil servants and Rajya Sabha MPs, as also promotions to high performing ministers, demonstrated the Prime Minister’s intent to walk the talk on maximum governance, keeping a sharp eye on political acumen to balance efficient administration with poll winnability.
Read full story here: Cabinet Reshuffle: Nine new ministers take oath; four elevated to cabinet rank
16:30 My gratitude to PM for reposing faith in me and giving me a very important ministry. Appeal to all sports federations, lets keep sportsmen as most important person,everything else will fall into place later: New Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, tweets ANI
For the full list of portfolios allocated to the revamped Council of Ministers, click here.
15:06 Speaking to News18, Suresh Prabhu says he resigned because it was his moral responsibility to do so, even though he feels accidents reduced drastically during his tenure.
14:58 "Performance is the only message that the Prime Minister is trying to send through the reshuffling," says Arun Jaitley.
14:39 Outgoing Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has welcomed his successor Piyush Goyal: "Welcoming my long time dear friend,colleague @PiyushGoyal to @RailMinIndia.I offer all my help to him to make railways world class.all best (sic)," he tweeted.
Prabhu is set to take charge of the Commerce ministry.
14:32 Here's what Nirmala Sitharaman said soon after she took oath this morning: "Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise it is impossible."
14:20 Arun Jaitley is speaking to News18 now. Says it was not logistically possible to hold full-time charge of two heavy duty ministries in the form of defence and finance. He says that Nirmala Sitharaman will be a competent successor.
14:17 So as things stand, Nirmala Sitharaman's elevation as Defence Minister and Piyush Goyal's promotion as Railway Minister are the biggest surprises of this reshuffle.
14:14 After Sushma Swaraj, Nirmala Sitharaman will now be the second woman on the Cabinet Committee for Security.
14:08 There are now 75 ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers — 27 Cabinet ministers, 11 Ministers of State with independent charge. and 37 Ministers of State.
14:05 Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar tells News18 that Nirmala Sitharaman is 'competent, efficient and analytical' and will do well in her new role.
14:00 Here's what the nine new faces in the Council of Ministers have been entrusted with:
Hardeep Singh Puri - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Satya Pal Singh - Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources,
River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Shiv Pratap Shukla - Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance
Alphons Kannanthanam- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Raj Kumar Singh - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Virendra Kumar - Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs
Anantkumar Hegde - Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat - Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Ashwini Kumar Choubey - Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
13:54 Nirmala Sitharaman has become the first full-fledged woman defence minister of India.
13:52 Sushma Swaraj retains charge of the External Affairs Ministry, Nitin Gadkari keeps road and highways, while Arun Jaitley will continue to head the Finance Ministry.
13:49 Here are the big ones:
Suresh Prabhu - Commerce
Dharmendra Pradhan - Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Piyush Goyal - Minister of Railways; and Minister of Coal
Nirmala Sitharaman - Minister of Defence.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - Minister of Minority Affairs
13:45 Here's the full list of portfolios allocated to the revamped Council of Ministers.
13:43 The full list is out now. Piyush Goyal has been confirmed as the new Railways minister.
13:38 Former home secretary RK Singh will get independent charge of the power ministry.
13:34 Word coming in that Nirmala Sitharaman has been made the new Defence Minister. She is only the second woman after Indira Gandhi to take charge of the ministry.
13:28 In case you're just joining us, here's what has happened so far:
> Nine new ministers took oath this morning.
> Existing ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Piyush Goyal have been elevated to Cabinet rank.
>Railway minister Suresh Prabhu announced his exit from the post.
> Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for the BRICS Summit in China even as his ministers await word about their portfolios.
13:15 Sources are now saying that Nirmala Sitharaman will be named the next Defence Minister.
13:07 BJP President Amit Shah has congratulated the newly-inducted ministers. "I am sure they will leave no stone unturned in realising PM Narendra Modi's dream of a New India."
13:01 National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has something to say too: Spare a thought for Nitish Kumar ji who was the bee's knees in the UPA & now only hears of union cabinet reshuffles through the media.
12:56 The Congress has a message for the new ministers: Best wishes to the newly inducted, we hope you will deliver the promises made to the people. We are watching you.
12:53 Click here for full coverage of the Cabinet reshuffle.
12:43 Shashi Tharoor has some advice for the new Ministers of State: Being MoS is like standing in a cemetery - there's a lot of people under you but no one is listening!
Been there, done that.
12:37 Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman terms the Cabinet reshuffle as a "sign of change amid continuity".
12:32 Sources are now telling News18 that Arun Jaitley may be divested of the defence portfolio. He has been holding additional charge of the ministry since Manohar Parrikar resigned to take over as Goa Chief Minister earlier this year.
12:26 Congress: Cabinet reshuffle is a sign that the BJP government has failed to deliver. The economy is in a shambles. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should be replaced.
12:14 MoS Hardeep Singh Puri says he is leaving it to BJP president Amit Shah to take a call on his entry to Parliament via the Lower or Upper House.
12:10 Is Piyush Goyal going to take charge of the Railways? We'll find out anytime now.
12:05 Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has just boarded Air India One. He is heading to China for the BRICS Summit.
12:03 Sources suggest that there is a possibility of another reshuffle inducting JD (U) and AIADMK. The AIADMK has not yet joined the NDA, but is expected to do so once it gets its house in order.
12:00 Here’s the full list of the new ministers:
CABINET MINISTERS
11:47 Dharmendra Pradhan says the Prime Minister has tasked new inductees with taking India to new highs. He thanks PM Modi for reposing faith in him.
11:44 After being promoted to a cabinet rank, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: “Our duty is to match up to expectations of PM Modi. We pledge to carry our duties honestly,” he told ANI.
11:41 The full list of portfolios is set to be out anytime now.
11:34 "No idea what is in store for me," Suresh Prabhu tells News18.
11:29 Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has bid farewell to his colleagues. His tweet: Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support,love,goodwill.I will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life (sic).
11:29 The Cabinet secretariat has not yet sent the list of portfolios to Rashtrapati Bhavan, reports News18.
11:24 The Prime Minister has just tweeted: I congratulate all those who have taken oath today. Their experience & wisdom will add immense value to the Council of Ministers. I congratulate my colleagues @dpradhanbjp, @PiyushGoyal, @nsitharaman and @naqvimukhtar on joining the Union Cabinet.
11:18 Lalu Prasad takes a swipe at Nitish Kumar. "One who leaves his people won't be taken in by others," he says.
11:10 Uma Bharti was not at the swearing-in ceremony. Amid speculation that she has been dropped from the Cabinet, she has tweeted saying that she had a prior engagement.
11:07 All eyes now on the allocation of portfolios. The full list should be out anytime now.
11:04 Alphons Kannanthanam is the second Cabinet minister to oath in English after Nirmala Sitharaman. And with that, all the new ministers have been sworn in and the ceremony has ended.
11:02 Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh also takes oath. An IPS officer of the 1980 batch of the Maharashtra cadre, Singh has been recognised with medals like the Antrik Suraksha Sewa Padak and a Special Service Medal for extraordinary work in the Naxalite areas of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 1990 by the government.
Singh is known for breaking the backbone of organised crime syndicates in Mumbai in the 1990s as the financial capital’s commissioner of police. He also served as the commissioner of Pune and Nagpur police.
11:01 Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is next. A Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, the The 49-year-old is a popular face in the Bharatiya Janata Party and will be the second Rajput after Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to secure a place in Modi's cabinet.
10:59 Former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri has been sworn in as well. He may be tasked with focusing on US and Israel relations.
10:56 Former Home Secretary RK Singh sworn in. He is known to deal effectively with bureaucracy. RK Singh could be the replacement for Giriraj Singh. He is an MP from Arrah in Bihar.
10:53 Madhya Pradesh MP Virendra Kumar takes oath, followed by Anant Kumar Hegde from Karnataka. Hegde is a member of the standing committee on external affairs. According to PRS, Kumar has an attendance rate of 96 percent in Parliament and has asked 245 questions.
10:50 Ashwini Choubey has been sworn in. He is close to the Sangh outfits and key to the Brahmin vote.
10:47 Shiv Pratap Shukla is the first of the new faces to take oath. Shukla has been elected to the UP Assembly four consecutive times, is a Rajya Sabha MP and is on the committee for Rural Development.
10:45 Nirmala Sitharaman has been sworn in as well, followed by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Pradhan, Goyal, Sitharaman and Naqvi are all being given Cabinet positions.
10:42 Pradhan falters with the words of the oath and is corrected by President Kovind. Piyush Goyal takes oath next. He is also being elevated to Cabinet rank.
10:40 Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan is the first to take oath. He has been elevated to Cabinet rank.
10:38 President Ram Nath Kovind has arrived for the ceremony and the national anthem is now playing.
10:36 The Janata Dal (United) has also skipped the ceremony. The newest NDA ally has not been allotted a Cabinet berth.
10:35 Uma Bharti is not attending the swearing-in ceremony. She is the Union water resources minister.
10:32 Amit Shah is seated next to Narendra Modi, followed by Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley.
10:28 Railway minister Suresh Prabhu is seated next to Road minister Nitin Gadkari. Will they hold the same portfolios in an hour from now?
10:23 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the swearing-in ceremony.
10:10 The full list of portfolios should be out by 11am.
10:00 Just half an hour to go for the swearing-in ceremony to begin. Live visuals from Rashtrapati Bhavan show plenty of handshakes and hugs going around.
09:59 "Our National President (Nitish Kumar) had already made it clear, so no question of me or anyone from JDU joining cabinet," VN Singh, Janata Dal (United) leader, tells ANI.
09:57 Former IAS officer KJ Alphons says his induction into the council of ministers came as a “great surprise”.
Alphons, who hails from Kerala, was featured in Time Magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders and is said to have pioneered the literacy movement in India by making Kottayam the first 100 percent literate town in India in 1989.
09:48 Word is that there is unlikely to be a change in the 'big four' portfolios - defence, finance, external affairs and home. Arun Jaitley is currently in charge of the defence and finance ministries.
09:42 The list of portfolios that have been allotted will be known soon after the ceremony.
09:39 If you're just joining us, these are the nine new faces who will be inducted into the council of ministers.
09:37 The nine new ministers and the three set for an elevation have just left the Prime Minister's residence and will now head to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
09:33 Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, RK Singh has thanked the Prime Minister for expressing confidence in his ability, adding that his portfolio has not been decided yet. Singh is a former home secretary.
09:30 Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is also said to be in line for an elevation to Cabinet rank. He's currently the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs.
09:25 There is also buzz that NDA ally Shiv Sena will skip the swearing-in ceremony over not getting a fresh berth in the reshuffle.
09:20 Speculation is rife that Piyush Goyal may be given charge of the Railways. Suresh Prabhu had offered to quit last week in light of recent train derailments.
09:10 The Prime Minister is currently hosting a 'chai pe charcha' with the nine men set to join his Council of Ministers. Narendra Modi will be leaving for the BRICS Summit in China at 3pm today, so he will not have time to interact with his new ministers after the official portfolios are allotted.
09:08 Will Nitin Gadkari take charge of the Railways? "It is a discussion in the media," he said when asked about the possibility.
09:02 The nine new members to be inducted in the Union council of ministers include four former senior bureaucrats and also BJP leaders from the states of Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh which go to polls in the near future.
08:46 Dharmendra Pradhan (Petroleum), Nirmala Sitharaman (Commerce) and Piyush Goyal (Power) have received calls for elevation to Cabinet rank as a reward for their good work.
08:40 The President tweeted last night that the swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers of the Union government will take place at 10.30 am today.
10.40 pm The names of nine ministers who will be inducted into the Council of Ministers have been confirmed. They are Raj Kumar Singh, Shiv Prakash Shukla, Virendra Kumar, Hardeep S Puri, Satya Pal Singh, KJ Alphons, Ashwini Choubey, Ananth Kumar Hegde, Gajendra Shekhawat.
Here is a brief profile on each.
9.12 pm The swearing-in ceremony for the Council of Ministers is expected to be held at around 10 am at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The list of portfolios that have been allotted will be known later in the day, probably in the afternoon before PM Modi leaves for the BRICS Summit in China.
8.59 pm But the short point being the NDA Cabinet does need a bit of a shake-up. Bench strength was perceived to be the biggest weakness of the ruling party, which rode to power on the popularity of one man -- and it has shown.
With general elections a couple of years away, PM Modi will need as much help as possible: demonetisation and the GST rollout have kept the economy soft recently, banks struggle with a gargantuan NPA burden, private sector investment remains sluggish while a jobs crisis looms.
8.53 pm Having said that, it is by now well known that PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah like to keep their cards close to the chest. So one should not be surprised in cases of, well, surprise.
8.50 pm Here's what we know so far, courtesy our trusted sources:
- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is also holding the defence portfolio, will likely hold only one of the two after the shuffle. Rising star in the NDA government, Power Minister Piyush Goyal could be elevated and given charge of one of these portfolios.
- BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav also could be inducted into the Cabinet. Rajya Sabha MPs Bhupendra Yadav and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe could be the other new inductees to Modi’s council of ministers.
- There is also speculation that the agriculture and fertilizer ministries might be merged in the new system, while railways, aviation, roads and shipping ministries could be integrated into a single transport ministry. Highways minister Nitin Gadkari could head this integrated transport ministry.
- Suresh Prabhu may be moved to the environment ministry.
8.45 pm A cloud of uncertainty, however, hangs over the participation of the BJP allies like the JD(U) and Shiv Sena in the reshuffle, even as chances of the AIADMK joining the government appear slim.
8.42 pm Union ministers - Kalraj Mishra, Bandaru Dattatreya, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahendra Nath Pandey -- had resigned yesterday ahead of the reshuffle.
Uma Bharti, too, had offered to resign but her fate remains in the balance amid speculation that there may be a few more exits.
So did popular Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu whose stint has seen the transporter roll out several new initiatives and services but which remains blighted by a poor safety record.
8.37 pm The Cabinet reshuffle is important coming as it does less than two years before the Modi government goes to polls in 2019. The PM, known to be an astute strategist, will have to keep in mind several interests: use it reinforce important political alliances and get caste and regional calculations right while picking ministerial candidates having the potential to help move the needle in an economy that faces several headwinds.
8.24 pm Welcome to the live coverage of the Cabinet reshuffle scheduled for Sunday morning. In less than 24 hours, we will come to know the full shape of the Union Cabinet following its third major reshuffle during the tenure of the Narendra Modi government.
Hardeep Singh Puri served as India's Ambassador to the UN in New York and Geneva has been appointed Minister of State (independent charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
A decorated former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, Hardeep Puri, has a four decade long distinguished career in diplomacy, foreign policy and national security.
For full profile click here
As Railway Minister, on recommendations of the government think-tankNitiAayyog, SureshPrabhuended the 92-year-old practice of a separate Railway Budget, merging it with the Union Budget. The minister argued that the integration of the general and railway budgets would help create an effective national transportation policy.
This seasoned politician from Maharashtra was formerly associated with the Shiv Sena. He served four tenures as a Member of the Lok Sabha from Maharashtra's Rajapur constituency before joining the Cabinet.
Prabhuwas Power Minister in the Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and worked extensively on the river-linking project, which is finally being greenlighted by Modi.
Read the full story here:SureshPrabhutravels from Railways to Commerce: Did derailments end his three-year journey?
Here are some of the key challenges Piyush Goyal is about to face as the Railway Minister in the cabinet:
# The Indian Railways have always been questioned on issues of safety with many reported rail accidents in the recent past. The Indore-Patna railway derailment in 2016 killed 65 people alone in 2016 while the Utkal Express derailment in Uttar Pradesh in 2017 claimed around 23 lives and injured many.
# Railway Finances is also a major point of concern for Goyal as the Railway Ministry has suffered poor operating ratios in the past. The annual rate of cost has not been able to keep pace with the revenues generated in the Railways Ministry.
For other challenges that Goyalcould face, click here
Sitharaman now becomes only the second woman after Indira Gandhi to take charge of the high-profile ministry, and is the first full-fledged woman defence minister.
In interviews to the media after her elevation as a cabinet minister Sitharaman said, "I am just overwhelmed and humbled. I can serve thecountry with something which is constantly on the top of mymind."
To a query whether her elevation showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment towards women empowerment, she said the Prime Minister has always been in favour. "I know his working style since the time he was in Gujarat. He always believed in giving women their due share. His belief is that women can also perform," she said.
Read full story here: Women to the fore: After Swaraj and Irani, Sitharaman gets top billing
The cherry-picked set of former civil servants and Rajya Sabha MPs, as also promotions to high performing ministers, demonstrated the Prime Minister’s intent to walk the talk on maximum governance, keeping a sharp eye on political acumen to balance efficient administration with poll winnability.
Read full story here:Cabinet Reshuffle: Nine new ministers take oath; four elevated to cabinet rank
Speaking to News18, Suresh Prabhusays he resigned because it was his moral responsibility to do so, even though he feels accidents reduced drastically during his tenure.
"Performance is the only message that the Prime Minister is trying to send through the reshuffling," says Arun Jaitley.
Here's what Nirmala Sitharaman said soon after she took oath this morning:"Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise it is impossible."
Arun Jaitleyis speaking to News18 now. Says it was not logistically possible to hold full-time charge of two heavy duty ministries in the form of defence and finance. He says that Nirmala Sitharaman will be a competent successor.
Arun Jaitleyis speaking to News18 now. Says it was not logistically possible to hold full-time charge of two heavy duty ministries in the form of defence and finance. He says that Nirmala Sitharaman will be a competent successor.
