Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expanded his cabinet on Friday. Five MLAs took oath as ministers at the Lok Bhavan here.
With the induction of the new ministers—Khazan Das, Bharat Singh Chaudhary, Madan Kaushik, Pradeep Batra, and Ram Singh Kaida—the Uttarakhand cabinet has now reached its maximum strength of 12, officials said.
During a ceremony at Lok Bhawan, Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd.) administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers.
Khazan Das represents the Rajpur Road constituency in Dehradun, Bharat Singh Chaudhary represents Rudraprayag, Madan Kaushik represents Haridwar, Pradeep Batra represents Roorkee, and Ram Singh Kaida represents Bhimtal. Chaudhary, Batra, and Kaida are serving as ministers for the first time, while Das and Kaushik have previously held cabinet positions.
The cabinet expansion aims to balance representation between the Garhwal and Kumaon regions, as well as between the plains and hill areas. This move is seen as significant ahead of the state Assembly elections next year.
Congratulating the new ministers, the Chief Minister said the team would work together for the development of the state and public service.
"Our objective is to ensure that the benefits of development reach the last person standing at the farthest corner of the state, providing them with opportunities to progress. We will all work with a spirit of teamwork, dedicated to serving the people of the state," Dhami remarked.
Besides Dhami, his cabinet colleagues and other dignitaries were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.
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