Kerala Ministers and their Portfolios (2016) - Complete List PDF

Hi Aspirants, the new LDF-led ministry headed by Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan as Chief Minister assumed power on 25th May 2016. The Hon'ble Governor of Kerala Shri. Justice P. Sathasivam administered the oath of office and secrecy to minister-designates at the swearing-in ceremony held at Central Stadium Thiruvananthapuram.

Check the complete list of ministers from below
Download as PDF from here

Minister	Portfolios
Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan  Chief Minister	General Administration All India Services, Planning and Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, Scientific Institutes, Personnel and Administrative Reforms Election, Integration, Sainik Welfare, Distress Relief, State Hospitality, Airports, Metro Rail, Inter State River Waters, Information and Public Relations, Non-Resident Keralites Affairs, Home, Vigilance, Administration of Civil and Criminal Justice, Fire and Rescue Services, Prisons, Printing and Stationery, Youth Affairs  and subjects not mentioned elsewhere.
Shri. Prof. C. Ravindranath	General Education, Collegiate Education, Technical Education Universities (Except Agricultural, Veterinary, Fisheries and Medical University) Entrance Examinations Literacy Movement National Cadet Corps
Shri. A. K. Balan	Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes  and Backward Classes, Law Culture, Parliamentary Affairs, KSFDC
Shri. Kadakampally Surendran	Electricity & Devaswoms
Shri. T. P. Ramakrishnan	Labour,  Employment and Training, Rehabilitation, Factories and Boilers Insurance Medical Service, Industrial Tribunals, Excise, Labour Courts.
Smt. J. Mercykutty Amma	Fisheries, Harbour Engineering, Cashew Industry, Fisheries University
Shri. E. P. Jayarajan	Industries (including Industrial Co-operatives) Commerce, Mining and Geology, Khadi and Village Industries Sports
Shri. G. Sudhakaran	Public Works, Registration, Post and Telegraphs, Railways
Smt. K. K. Shylaja	Health, Family Welfare, Medical Education, Indigenous Medicine, Medical University, Drugs Control, Pollution Control, Homoeopathy, Naturopathy, Social Justice
Shri. A. C. Moideen	Co-operation & Tourism
Shri. Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac	Finance, National Savings, Stores Purchase, Commercial Taxex,, Agricultural Income Tax, Treasuries Lotteries, State Audit, Kerala Financial Corporation, KSFE, State Insurance Stamps And Stamp Duties, Coir
Shri. K. T. Jaleel	Panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations, Rural Development Town planning, Regional Development Authorities, Kerala Institute of Local Administration, Welfare of Minorities Wakf and Haj Pilgrimage
Shri. E. Chandrasekharan	Land Revenue, Survey and Land Records, Land Reforms, Housing
Shri. V. S. Sunil Kumar	Agriculture, Soil Survey & soil Conservation, Agricultural university Warehousing Corporation, Veterinary university
Shri. P. Thilothaman	Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs, Legal Metrology
Shri. Adv. K. Raju	Forests, Wildlife Protection Animal husbandry, Dairy Development, Milk- Co-operatives Zoos
Shri. Adv. Mathew T. Thomas	Irrigation, CADA, Ground Water Development, Water Supply and Sanitation, Inland Navigation (Construction of Waterways), Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation
Sri. A. K. Saseendran	Road Transport, Motor Vehicles Water Transport
Shri. Ramachandran Kadannappally	Ports, Museums, Archaeology

Photo Courtesy: Manorama 

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Mamata Banerjee sworn-in as West Bengal Chief Minister

Hi Aspirants, Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee was sworn-in as the chief minister of West Bengal for second successive five-year term on 27 May 2016. 

Here are the Important Points you should know

1. Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi administered her oath of office and secrecy.

2. This is for the first time that a chief minister will take oath on Red Road.

3. Banerjee, the state’s eighth chief minister and the first woman to occupy the post, took her oath in Bengali.

4. The 42-member ministry, of them 18 are new faces, has seven ministers from the minority community.

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Pinarayi Vijayan sworn in as Kerala Chief Minister

Pinarayi Vijayan, the 72-year-old CPM leader, took oath as the 12th chief minister of Kerala along with 18 ministers at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on 25 May 2016. 

Note these Important Points

1. Pinarayi Vijayan was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Justice (Retd) P. Sathasivam.

2. A CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan is the 22nd chief minister of Kerala.

3. Departing from tradition, this was the second time that the swearing in ceremony was held outside the Raj Bhavan complex - the official residence of the Kerala Governor.

4. Pinarayi Vijayan served as the minister in Kerala government between 1996 to 1998.

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Sarbananda Sonowal sworn-in as Assam Chief Minister

Hi Aspirants, Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Assam on 24 May 2016.

Note these Important Points 

1. Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Assam on 24 May 2016.

2. Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new CM at Khanapara in Guwahati.

3. Sonowal was sworn in as the chief minister of the first ever BJP government in northeast, replacing the 15-year-old Congress government led by Tarun Gogoi.

4. It was the first time after 1985, when a Chief Minister took his oath in an open field.

5. Sarbanand Sonowal was at present Union Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs in Modi government.

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AS Kiran Kumar appointed as new ISRO Chairman

* Government has today ( 12 January 2015) appointed Kiran Kumar Alur Seelin, a key figure behind Mangalyaan, as the new Secretary, Department of Space and the ISRO Chief for the next 3 yrs, succeeding K. Radhakrishnan who superannuated on December 31.

* Appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared his name and subsequently the order was issued.

* He who was a Director in the Space Application Centre, will be Chairman of the Space Commission and Secretary, Department of Space on re-employment on contract basis for the next three years.

* He joined ISRO in 1975 and has contributed to the design and development of Electro-Optical Imaging Sensors for Airborne, LEO and GEO platform based imaging sensors starting from Bhaskara TV payload to the latest payloads for Chandrayaan-1 missions.

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Sumitra Mahajan is the Speaker of 16th Lok Sabha

>> Sumitra Mahajan, an eight-time BJP member of Parliament, has been elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Ms Mahajan for her unanimous election.

>> Mr Modi, in his first speech in Parliament, said, "There are 315 new members in the House. This means we can leave some old traditions behind and start some good new traditions, this new blood has the opportunity to present a strong democracy before the world."

>> The Prime Minister is one of those first time MPs. He was sworn in yesterday along with the other members of the 16th Lok Sabha. On Monday, the President will address a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.

>> Ms Mahajan is the first BJP leader to be elected the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

>> Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and leaders of other parties too made short speeches congratulating the new Speaker.

>> Ms Mahajan will be the second woman to occupy the post of Lok Sabha Speaker. The first was her predecessor Meira Kumar.

>> Sumitra Mahajan, 71, is the longest serving woman lawmaker in the Lok Sabha. She was elected last month for an eighth consecutive term from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, defeating her Congress rival by a huge margin of 4.66 lakh votes.

>> BJP leaders say Ms Mahajan has the right temperament and stature for the post of Speaker.

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Rajiv Mathur Sworn In as New Chief Information Commissioner on May 22, 2014

>> Former Intelligence Bureau chief Rajiv Mathur was sworn-in on 22 May 2014 as the new chief information commissioner, Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

>> The oath was administered to Mr Mathur by President Pranab Mukherjee, said a statement.

>> Rajiv Mathur, a 1972 batch Indian Police Service officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, served in the Intelligence Bureau for nearly three decades, including 15 years in Washington.

>> He succeeds Ms Sushma Singh. He will have a tenure till August 23, when he will attain 65 years of age.

>> A retired officer of the 1972 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS) (Uttar Pradesh cadre), Mr Mathur served as Director of the Intelligence Bureau for a two-year term from December 31, 2008.

>> He is a recipient of the Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Service and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

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Ajit Kumar Doval is the new National Security Advisor of India

>> Highly decorated police officer and former Intelligence Bureau Chief Ajit Doval, considered one of the finest operational brains, was on 30 May 2014 appointed as the National Security Adviser.

>> 69-year-old Doval's is the second key appointment made after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed charge. The first was that of Nripendra Misra as Modi's Principal Secretary.

>> According to the official order, the appointment of Doval, who retired in January 2005 as Intelligence Bureau Chief, takes effect from 31 May 2014.

>> His appointment will be co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister or till further orders, whichever is earlier, the order said. The name of Doval had started doing rounds in the power corridors ever since Modi became Prime Minister-designate.

>> Having the distinction of being the first police officer who received 'Kirti Chakra', a military honour, Doval will be providing his deep insight about the threats faced by the country from within and from outside.

>> A 1968-batch IPS officer, Doval, known one of the best operational brains within intelligence circles, was India's main negotiator with the hijackers of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 taken to Kandahar in 1999.

>> After a few years in uniform, Doval had worked as an intelligence officer for over 33 years during which he had served in the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. Doval had also done diplomatic assignments in Pakistan and the UK and later headed the operations wing of the Intelligence Bureau for over a decade, responsible for counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence and counter- insurgency.

>> After his retirement from service, he was running Delhi-based NGO 'Vivekananda International Foundation' which provided a platform for dialogue and conflict resolutions.

>> He was the first police officer to have been awarded with President's Police Medal for gallantry in just six years of service. This is generally granted after 15 years.

>> In 1989, he had led a team of Intelligence Bureau officials along with the Punjab Police and National Security Guards in "Operation Black Thunder" to flush out terrorists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Doval had also successfully planned the rescue of Romanian diplomat Liviu Radu who was abducted by Khalistan Liberation Front in 1991.

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Mukul Rohatgi appointed 14th Attorney General of India

>> Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi will be the new Attorney General (AG) of India following change in government at the Centre.

>> Rohatgi, who will take over from Goolam Essaji Vahanvati as the 14th AG of the country, said, his top priority as Attorney General would be to "streamline litigations in the Supreme Court."

>> Rohatgi, son of former Delhi High Court judge Justice Awadh Behari Rohatgi, has represented Gujarat government in the Supreme Court in the 2002 Gujarat riots and fake encounter death cases, including the Best Bakery and Zahira Sheikh cases.

>> He has also been representing the Italian embassy in the apex court in a case relating to two Italian marines involved in killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012.

>> Besides some of these illustrative high-profile cases handled by him, Rohatgi has been appearing on behalf of big corporates in the 2G scam trial.

Know about Attorney General of India?

1) The Attorney General for India is the Indian government's chief legal advisor, and its primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of India. He is appointed by the President of India under Article 76(1) of the Constitution and holds office during the pleasure of the President. He must be a person qualified to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court.

2) The Attorney General, like an Advocate General of a State is not supposed to be a political appointee, in spirit, but this is not the case in practice. Every time a party comes to power in the general elections, all the law officers resign and law officers loyal to the new party are appointed.

3) The Attorney General is necessary for giving advice to the Government of India in legal matters referred to him. He also performs other legal duties assigned to him by the President. The Attorney General has the right of audience in all Courts in India as well as the right to participate in the proceedings of the Parliament, though not to vote.

4) The Attorney General appears on behalf of Government of India in all cases (including suits, appeals and other proceedings) in the Supreme Court in which Government of India is concerned. He also represents the Government of India in any reference made by the President to the Supreme Court under Article 143 of the Constitution.

5) The Attorney General is assisted by a Solicitor General and four Additional Solicitors General.

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Justice R.M. Lodha to be next Chief Justice of India

>> Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha has been appointed as the next Chief Justice of India and he will assume his charge on April 27.

>> “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha, Judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from April 27, 2014,” a Law Ministry statement said.

>> Justice Lodha (64) is the senior-most judge of the apex court after CJI P. Sathasivam. He will have a brief tenure of five months as the Chief Justice as he is scheduled to retire on September 27, this year.

>> Justice Lodha’s name was recommended as the next CJI by Justice Sathasivam.

>> As per the Memorandum of Procedure which governs the appointment of members of the higher judiciary, appointment to the office of the Chief Justice of India should be of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office. It stipulates that the Law Minister would, at the appropriate time, seek the recommendation of the outgoing Chief Justice of India for the appointment of the next CJI. Under this process, after receipt of the recommendation of the CJI, the Law Minister puts it up to the Prime Minister who advises the President in the matter of appointment.

>> Born in Jodhpur, Justice Lodha enrolled with Bar Council of Rajasthan in February 1973. He practiced Law in the Rajasthan High Court and dealt with all branches of law — constitutional, civil, company, criminal, taxation and labour. He was elevated as a Permanent Judge of the Rajasthan High Court in January 1994. He was transferred to the Bombay High Court where he assumed office in February 1994. Justice Lodha was transferred back to the Rajasthan High Court in February 2007. He had been the Administrative Judge of the Rajasthan High Court and was chairman of State Judicial Academy.

>> He was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on May 13, 2008 and elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on December 17, 2008.

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Important Appointments during September 2013...

Important Appointments during September 2013...

Useful for all upcoming competitive Exams...

>> New RBI Governor : Raghuram Rajan took over the charge of Reserve Bank of India as a successor of outgoing Governor of RBI, Dr. Subbarao.

>> New CIC of India: Deepak Sandhu became the first woman Chief Information Commissioner.

>> N. Srinivasan Re-Elected As the BCCI President for the Third Term.

>> Ranjib Biswal Appointed as the Chairman of IPL ( Indian Premier League ).

>> Ruchira Kamboj was appointed as the Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ).

>> Sanjay Govind Dhande Appointed as UGC ( University Grants Commission) Member.

>> Ravindra Kumar Elected as President of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS).

>> Randall Oliphant Appointed as The Chairman of The World Gold Council.

>> Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes : Government of India appointed Justice Vangala Eswaraiah as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).

>> Virat Kohli Appointed As the Brand Ambassador of Border Security Force.

>> New PM of Australia : Tony Abbott Sworn in as Australian Prime Minister

>> New PM of Cambodia: Hun Sen reelected as the Prime Minister of Cambodia.

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Arundhati Bhattacharya is new chief of State Bank of India (SBI)

Arundhati Bhattacharya is new chief of State Bank of India (SBI)

** Arundhati Bhattacharya Monday took over as the new chairperson of the State Bank of India (SBI).

** She is the first woman to be appointed to the top job at the country's largest lender.

**Prior to her elevation to the top job, 57-year-old Bhattacharya was managing director and chief financial officer of SBI.

** She succeeds Pratip Chaudhuri who retired Sep 30.

**"Arundhati Bhattacharya assumed charge as chairperson of State Bank of India on Oct 7, 2013," SBI said in a statement.

**Bhattacharya joined SBI as a probationary officer in 1977.

** During her 36-year tenure at the bank she has held a number of important positions, including those of deputy managing director and corporate development officer, chief general manager (Bangalore Circle) and chief general manager (New Businesses).

** She also headed SBI Capital Markets Ltd, a subsidiary of State Bank of India and had a stint in the BankA's New York office where she was in charge of monitoring branch performance, overseeing external audit and correspondent relations, SBI statement said.

**"She has also played a pivotal role in setting up three of the latest subsidiaries of the Bank viz. the General Insurance Subsidiary, the Custodial Subsidiary and the SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund," it said.

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Raghuram Rajan takes over as RBI Governor

Raghuram Rajan takes over as RBI Governor

* Raghuram Govind Rajan, chief economic advisor in the Finance Ministry take over as governor of the Reserve Bank of India

* Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved his appointment on August 6, 2013 for a term of three years.

* At 50, Mr. Rajan will be among the youngest to occupy the high office at Mint Street in Mumbai, where he takes over from incumbent Duvvuri Subbarao.

* Mr. Rajan, who joined the Finance Ministry in August 2012, brings with him wide experience as a banker, academician and technocrat, having served institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and taught at the University of Chicago.

* An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Ahmedabad and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a gold-medallist all through, Mr. Rajan was the youngest economic-counsellor and chief economist at the IMF from October 2003 to December 2006.

* His appointment comes at a time when the Indian economy is passing through rough weather and the government and the central bank are not particularly seen to be in sync on ways to handle the situation.

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Raguram Rajan to be new RBI governor

Raguram Rajan to be new RBI governor

He will succeed D Subbarao whose term ends on September 5

Raghuram Rajan, currently the Chief Economic Advisor to the government of India was on 06 August 2013(Tuesday) appointed the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) governor. Finance Ministry's office has confirmed the appointment for three years..

There were two other contenders -- economic affairs secretary Arvind Mayaram and Planning Commission member Saumitra Chaudhuri.

Rajan will replace D Subbarao, who completes his five-year term on September 4, and will be the 23rd Governor of the central bank. "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved appointment of Raghuram Rajan as Governor of RBI for a term of three years," an official statement said.

Rajan, a former IMF chief economist, was appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry in August last year.Known for his frank views, Rajan was also honorary economic advisor to the Prime Minister. He was acclaimed for predicting the 2008 global financial crisis.

An alumni of IIM-Ahmedabad and IIT-Delhi, Rajan did his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was professor at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business before taking over as CEA.

Rajan was also involved with the report on Financial Sector Reforms, which was authorised by the Planning Commission.

The former IMF chief economist had emerged as the key pointsman for Finance minister P Chidambaram, dealing with issues as diverse as a new development index to calm down nerves in the markets.

Apart from a sound understanding of the economic and financial system, what also works in favour of Rajan is his familiarity with key players in the global economic system, especially in uncertain times like at present. Besides, he is expected to get new ideas into RBI, which many on Raisina Hill believe is too conservative.

At the same time, a professional economist like Rajan is expected to take an independent view of applicants for bank licences and not act under the finance ministry's pressure. Rajan's appointment comes at a time when the economy is struggling with a high Current Account Deficit (CAD) and a depreciating rupee. 

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P. Sathasivam sworn in Chief Justice of India

P. Sathasivam sworn in Chief Justice of India

Justice Sathasivam, 64, is the 40th CJI and the first from Tamil Nadu. He will remain in office till April 26, 2014.

President Pranab Mukherjee on 19.07.2013 (Friday) administered the oath of office to Justice P. Sathasivam as the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

Justice Sathasivam, 64, is the 40th CJI and the first from Tamil Nadu. He will remain in office till April 26, 2014. He succeeded Altamas Kabir, whose last day in office was on Thursday.

The oath taking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other dignitaries at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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