Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has assigned portfolios to the newly appointed ministers in Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s cabinet in Jammu and Kashmir. An official order issued on October 17 by the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Secretariat stated, “In accordance with Rule 4 (2) of the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019, I, Manoj Sinha, do hereby allocate government business to the ministers as detailed in the annex.”
According to the order, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary will oversee the Public Works (R&B), Industries and Commerce, Mining, Labour and Employment, and Skill Development departments. Sakeena Masood (Itoo) has been assigned to handle Health and Medical Education, School Education, Higher Education, and Social Welfare.
Javed Ahmed Rana will manage Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology and Environment, and Tribal Affairs, while Javid Ahmad Dar will be responsible for Agriculture Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Cooperative, and Elections. Satish Sharma has been assigned Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Transport, Science and Technology, Information Technology, Youth Services and Sports, as well as ARI and Training.
The order also mentioned that any departments not specifically assigned will remain under the Chief Minister’s purview.
The National Conference-Congress alliance won the recent assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, marking the first elections in the region after a decade. The JKNC secured 42 seats, while the Congress won six. The BJP performed strongly, claiming 29 seats, with the People’s Democratic Party winning three and independent candidates securing seven seats.
Omar Abdullah, who previously served as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014, chaired his first cabinet meeting at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar following his recent oath-taking as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory. The results of the three-phase elections were announced on October 8, representing the first electoral exercise since the abrogation of Article 370.
