New Ministers sworn into UPA Cabinet

New Delhi, July 12 (ANI): President Pratibha Devisingh Patil administered the oath of office and secrecy to the eight new ministers inducted in the Union Cabinet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Tuesday evening.

Gurudas Kamat and Srikant Jena were not present during the swearing in ceremony.

According to reports, Kamat is reportedly upset with the new portfolio of Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation. He was earlier the Minister of State for Home Affairs.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, earlier in the day dropped seven ministers and inducted eight new faces in his Cabinet.

Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi has been made the country's new Railway Minister.

Jairam Ramesh, who was Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, has been made Cabinet Minister for Rural Development.

Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was incharge of Rural Development, has been moved to the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences.

Law Minister Veerappa Moily has been shifted to Corporate Affairs, while Salman takes over as the new Law Minister.

V Kishore Chandra Deo, a tribal leader from Andhra Pradesh, will be Cabinet Minister for Tribal Affairs and Panchayati Raj, while Beni Prasad Verma has been made as the Cabinet Minister for Steel. Verma was earlier Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Steel.

Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan and Congress Chief Whip Paban Singh Ghatowar have been inducted as Ministers of State with independent charge.

Natarajan has been made the Minister of State for Environment and Forests, while Ghatowar has been given the charge of Minister of Development of North Eastern Region.

Trinamool Congress Chief Whip Sudip Bandopadhyaya, Congress leaders Charan Das Mahant, Jitendra Singh, Milind Deora, and Rajiv Shukla have made their debut as Ministers of State in the Cabinet.

Shukla will be minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, while Milind Deora, will be Minister of State for Communications and IT. Sudip Bandopadhyaya get Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

The ministers who have been dropped from the Cabinet are Dayanidhi Maran, Murli Deora, BK Handique, MS Gill, Kanti Lal Bhuria, A Sai Prathap and Arun S Yadav.

The ministers of Finance, Defence, Home and External Affairs remain unchanged. (ANI)