PM Modi thanks world leaders for their congratulatory wishes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (June 10) thanked world leaders for their wishes after he took oath for a third term in office, and told his Canadian counterpart that India looks forward to working with his country based on mutual understanding and respect for each other's concerns.
Ugandan President Yoweri K Museveni, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, his Slovenian counterpart Robert Golob, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, and billionaire-philanthropist Bill Gates were among those whom Modi thanked for their wishes.
Release of 'Kisan Nidhi' fund is PM Modi's first decision in 3rd term
Taking charge as prime minister in his third term, Modi on Monday signed his first file authorising the release of 17th installment of the 'PM Kisan Nidhi' funds amounting to nearly Rs 20,000 crore, which will benefit around 9.3 crore farmers.
After signing on to the release of funds, Modi said, “Ours is a government fully committed to 'kisan kalyan' (farmers' welfare). It is, therefore, fitting that the first file signed on taking charge is related to it. We want to keep working even more for farmers and the agriculture sector in the times to come."
The decision signifies the government's commitment to farmers' welfare following the ruling National Democratic Alliance's poll win, albeit with some setback, especially in parts of rural India.
Patnaik congratulates Modi for third consecutive term as PM
Odisha’s outgoing chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday congratulated Narendra Modi for his record-equalling third term as prime minister.
“Congratulate Shri @narendramodi ji on being sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for the record third consecutive term. Wish you a successful tenure and best wishes to your team in fulfilling the aspirations of the people. May our beloved country reach new heights of development under your leadership,” Patnaik wrote on X.
11 ministers from Rajya Sabha in new Council of Ministers
As many as eleven members of the new Council of Ministers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that was sworn in on Sunday evening are from the Rajya Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha members represent around 15 per cent of the members in the Council of Ministers.
Among the Cabinet ministers who are Rajya Sabha members are Jagat Prakash Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Hardeep Singh Puri. Sarbananda Sonowal and Jyotiraditya Scindia are members of Rajya Sabha but have been elected to Lok Sabha this time.
L Murugan had contested the Lok Sabha election from the Nilgiri constituency, reserved for Scheduled Castes but lost to the DMK.
The Rajya Sabha members who have been inducted as Ministers of State are Ramdas Athawale, Ramnath Thakur, B L Verma, L Murugan, Satish Chandra Dubey and Pabitra Margherita.
Jual Oram - BJP's tribal face in Odisha
Veteran BJP leader Jual Oram, who stands as a beacon of tribal leadership in Odisha, was inducted into the Narendra Modi 3.0 government on Sunday as a central minister.
The 63-year-old leader, hailing from Odisha's Sundargarh district, holds the distinction of being the country's first tribal affairs minister, following the establishment of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs under the leadership of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He has a long political experience both as an MLA and an MP. His electoral triumphs include successive wins from the tribal-dominated Bonai assembly constituency in 1990 and 1995. The tribal leader was elected to the Lok Sabha for six terms from Sundargarh. Additionally, he became president of the BJP's Odisha unit on three occasions.
Oram emerged victorious from Sundargarh, defeating BJD's nominee and Indian Hockey player Dilip Tirkey.
13 ministers from South find place in Modi's Cabinet
More than a dozen parliamentarians from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana and Tamil Nadu were inducted on Sunday in the Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Modi, rewarding the BJP's coalition partners in the southern states.
JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, BJP leaders Nirmala Sitharaman and Pralhad Joshi, who were part of the previous Cabinet, were among those who took oath. Union Minister of State in the previous Modi government, Shobha Karandlaje, and former minister in the state government V Somanna -- both from BJP -- were also sworn in.
Two TDP MPs -- K Rammohan Naidu and Chandrasekhar Pemmasani -- along with BJP's Srinivasa Varma were inducted from Andhra Pradesh. From Kerala, Suresh Gopi, the lone BJP Lok Sabha MP in the state, and senior party leader George Kurian became ministers for the first time. Kurian's inclusion despite not being an MP is seen as the BJP's attempt to reach out to the Christian community.
BJP leaders from Telangana -- Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar -- were also included in the Modi 3.0 government. From Tamil Nadu, L Murugan was included as Minister of State in the new government.
From lawyers to MBA degree holders: Modi's new cabinet mix of professionals
Among the 30 cabinet ministers, six are lawyers, three are MBA degree holders and 10 post-graduates, making it an eclectic mix of professionals.
Prime Minister Modi and Rajnath Singh are among those who possess master's degrees.
As many as six who hold law degrees include cabinet ministers Nitin Gadkari, J P Nadda, Piyush Goyal, Sarbananda Sonowal, Bhupender Yadav and Kiren Rijiju.
The ministers who are post-graduates are Rajnath Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, Dharmendra Pradhan, Dr Virendra Kumar, Mansukh Mandviya, Hardeep Singh Puri, Annapurna Devi and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Six ministers are graduates -- Manohar Lal, H D Kumaraswamy, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh, Pralhad Joshi and Giriraj Singh.