Home Department Remains With Chief Minister
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced the distribution of responsibilities among members of his newly formed Cabinet, choosing to retain direct control of the influential Home Department while handing several major ministries to senior colleagues.
Apart from Home, Adhikari will continue to oversee a number of strategic departments, including Power, Information and Cultural Affairs, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Hill Affairs, Land and Land Reforms, and Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation. He will also supervise departments that have not been specifically allocated to ministers.
Key Ministries Assigned To Senior Leaders
Among the most significant appointments, Swapan Dasgupta has been entrusted with the Finance Department, while Tapas Roy will lead the Industry, Commerce and Enterprises portfolio along with responsibilities linked to public enterprises and renewable energy.
The Health and Family Welfare Department has been assigned to Sharadwat Mukherjee, while Dipak Barman will oversee School Education, Housing, MSME and Textiles.
Agnimitra Paul Gets Urban Development
A major reshuffle also saw Agnimitra Paul moved to the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department, one of the state’s most important administrative portfolios.
Meanwhile, Arjun Singh has been assigned Labour and Transport, while Shankar Ghosh will handle Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism.
Other prominent appointments include Dilip Ghosh taking charge of Panchayats and Rural Development, and Nishith Pramanik overseeing North Bengal Development and Water Resources Investigation and Development.
Independent Charge Ministers Also Named
The government also announced portfolios for Ministers of State with Independent Charge.
Malati Rava Roy will oversee Women and Child Development, Social Welfare, Self-Help Groups and Programme Monitoring, while Indranil Khan has been assigned Youth Services and Sports along with Consumer Affairs.
New Cabinet Structure Takes Shape
The portfolio allocation marks the first major administrative step of the new government, providing a clearer picture of how responsibilities will be distributed across departments.
With Adhikari retaining the Home Ministry and several key administrative portfolios, the new Cabinet structure signals that the Chief Minister intends to maintain close oversight of governance and policy implementation while delegating economic, industrial, education and welfare sectors to trusted members of his team.
