Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Member of Parliament V Radhika Selvi was on Friday inducted into the Union Council of Ministers as a Minister of State.
Selvi, first time MP from Tiruchendur in Tamil Nadu, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by President A P J Abdul Kalam at a brief function in the Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his cabinet colleagues and relatives of the new minister.
Her induction follows developments in the DMK in the wake of the resignation of Dayanidhi Maran form the cabinet.
Selvi entered politics following the death of her husband Venkatesa Pannaiyar, who was wanted in connection with 20 criminal cases and was gunned down by the cops in Chennai in 2003 during the AIADMK rule.