Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has given the key Home department to senior Congress leader G Parameshwara, while K J George has been shifted to newly created Bengaluru development department.
Manohar Tashildar has been handed excise and muzrai department, A Manju has been given animal husbandry and sericulture portfolio, while Vinay Kulkarni was given charge of mines & geology department.
Parameshwara, Tashildar, Manju and Kulkarni were inducted into the council of ministers on Thursday. While Parameshwara and Tashildar are Cabinet ministers, Manju and Kulkarni are ministers of state with independent charge.In all, Siddaramaiah has shed four portfolios held by him, higher education, mines & geology, excise and sericulture. Animal husbandry and muzrai portfolios were earlier held by T B Jayachandra. Current Law Minister T B Jayachandra has been given additional charge of higher education.
George will be in-charge of BDA, BBMP, BMRDA, BWSSB and Directorate of Town Planning. All these civic agencies were under the purview of the chief minister.
In the previous governments, Ananth Nag and V Somanna have worked as Bengaluru development ministers. Parameshwara had also expressed his wish to hold this new portfolio.
Till now, Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake was managing town planning. Former IPS officer P Kempaiah, who was advisor to George, will now advice the chief minister on security issues, it is said.