Jairam Ramesh, a key member of Congress' economic think tank who was inducted as a minister of state in the union council of ministers on Sunday, was on Monday night given the portfolio of Commerce while Dinsha Patel will be minister of state for Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Industrialist-politician T Subbirami Reddy, another new face with the rank of minister of state, has been allocated Mines portfolio, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru said.
Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, who is already cabinet minister, will be without any porfolio, he said.