Veena George replaces KK Shailaja as Kerala's health minister

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will retain key portfolios including Home in the succesive Left Democratic Front government in the state while his son-in-law PA Mohamed Riyas and Veena George, both first time ministers, will handle PWD and Health, respectively.

George, a former journalist and Aranmula MLA, will succeed the popular KK Shailaja, who played a leading role in the state's fight against Covid-19, and whose omission in the new cabinet had created a flutter.

Vijayan will retain Home, Vigilance and IT portfolios among others while his confidant and first-time legislator K N Balagopal will helm the finance department, replacing the high-profile T M Thomas Isaac as the portfolios of the new ministers were announced here on Friday.

Besides health and family affairs, George is also entrusted with the women and child welfare department.

After taking oath for the second time as CM on Thursday, Vijayan handed over the portfolios of respective ministers to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the government order in this connection was issued late Thursday night.

It was released to the media on Friday.

The 21-member-strong Communist Party of India-Marxist-led ministry was sworn in at the central stadium here on Thursday evening in a low-key ceremony in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barring Vijayan, all 11 CPI-M ministers are new faces.

Besides Veena George, two other women legislators also found a place in the Vijayan cabinet, the highest in recent times.

R Bindhu, wife of CPI-M acting state secretary A Vijayaraghavan, would hold the Higher Education and Social Justice portfolios while J Chinchurani, the first ever woman minister of CPI, got Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development.