New Delhi: After the Modi government reshuffle, the strength of women ministers has moved from six in the previous term to 11 – the highest number of women ministers in the Union government since 2004.
As many as seven women MPs took oath as union ministers in the expanded council of ministers on Wednesday.
They include Anupriya Patel, Shobha Karandlaje, Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Meenakshi Lekhi, Annapurna Devi, Pratima Bhoumik and Bharati Pravin Pawar apart from existing Cabinet ministers Nirmala Sitaraman and Smriti Irani, and Ministers of State Sadhavi Niranjan Jyoti and Renuka Singh.
1. Anupriya Patel
2. Shobha Karandlaje
3.Darshana Vikram Jardosh
4.Meenakshi Lekhi
5.Annapurna Devi
6.Pratima Bhoumik
7.Bharati Pravin Pawar
As many as 43 leaders took oath on Wednesday in the first Union Cabinet reshuffle and expansion after Prime Minister Modi returned to power for a second term in May 2019.
The swearing-in ceremony, which took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan amid COVID-19 protocols, came days ahead of the monsoon session of parliament.
Some of the key figures inducted into the Union cabinet include Jyotiraditya Scindia, Bhupender Yadav, Sarbananda Sonowal and Pashupati Kumar Paras.
Meanwhile, seven Ministers of State (MoS) have been promoted as Union Cabinet Ministers.
Former MoS G Kishan Reddy, Kiren Rijiju, Anurag Singh Thakur, Hardeep Singh Puri, Raj Kumar Singh, Parshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya took oath on July 7