Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy has allocated portfolios that he was so far holding to some of his cabinet colleagues on a temporary basis.
Dr Reddy was overburdened with portfolios after six Telangana Rashtra Samithi ministers resigned from his cabinet.
He already had more than 25 portfolios.
He had changed the portfolios of two ministers--M Satyanarayana Rao and Botcha Satyanarayana-- after allegations relating to the temple lands scam and the Volkswagen-related scam surfaced while they were holding endowments and major industries respectively.
Besides, Dr Reddy was handling at least a dozen major portfolios ever since he became chief minister in May 2004. In the wake of criticism from the opposition that he was the only chief minister in the state's history to hold so many portfolios for such a long time, Dr Reddy decided to shed as many as 27 portfolios, while retaining the law & order and general administration departments.
While allocating the additional portfolios to ministers, the chief minister advised them to concentrate on public issues relating to their respective departments.
He asked his cabinet colleagues to closely monitor the affairs of their departments to help in resolving grievances of the common man and running the administration smoothly and properly.
Dr Reddy told his colleagues to frequently tour districts and personally monitor the developmental and welfare programmes. On the advice of the chief minister, Governor Sushil Kumar Shinde allocated the additional portfolios to 23 ministers.
However, Botcha Satyanarayana, who was recently shifted to marketing from industries, commerce and export promotion in the wake of the Volkswagen-related scam, has not been given any additional portfolio. All other ministers got additional subjects.
The list of major portfolios which were shed by the chief minister includes energy, endowments, public enterprises, major industries, housing, medium & minor irrigation, transport, civil supplies, warehousing, youth services, women and child welfare and tribal welfare.