Narendra Modi government 2.0 LIVE Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought in 24 new faces to the council of ministers, striking a balance in regional representation while also taking care of the states that are set to go to polls in the near future.

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The names included in the Council of Ministers show that the BJP tried to pull a balancing act as far as regional representation was concerned. The second Narendra Modi-led government has the maximum representation of 10 faces from the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who represents Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, followed by seven from Maharashtra and six from Bihar. Modi gave representation to members from Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand as the states will be going to polls later this year.

Speculations about Amit Shah getting the next finance ministry portfolio may have caused the markets to react positively. Perhaps this the extension of a warm welcome to its own member. Amit Shah's official profession, according to his affidavit, is share trading and even his father was a stock trader who had his own terminal.

The prime minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with BIMSTEC leaders from 10.30 am onwards so it is expected that before leaving for Hyderabad House, where the meetings will take place, he will send the portfolios communication to President House for formal notification of the same.

"We have no clue of what this guy knows or his financial knowledge,” said a trader at a private bank, who declined to be identified. “The market will take some time to understand his views."

"The hallmark of this government is that there’s more PMO (prime minister’s office)-driven strategy and guidance,” said Jayesh Shroff, co-founder of investment advisory firm Cask Capital. “So, to that extent, you don’t need a proper technocrat to run the finance ministry - you need someone who can get things done."

Several investors and traders said they did not expect Indian markets to react much if Shah’s appointment was confirmed, believing his ability to get things done would offset his lack of financial experience.

The former foreign secretary, a surprise pick in the Modi government, carries with him more than three decades of diplomatic experience. A 1977-batch IFS officer, Jaishankar is the son of late K Subrahmanyam, one of India's leading strategic analysts. ​Jaishankar was also a key member of the Indian team which negotiated the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal.

A potential replacement for Sushma Swaraj could be former foreign secretary, S. Jaishankar, who took an oath as a cabinet minister. A former ambassador to the United States and China, Jaishankar led India’s diplomatic corps during Modi’s first term before retiring in early 2018 and subsequently joining the Tata Group conglomerate.

Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral meetings with representatives of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation member nations on Friday. The meetings will be held at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Modi is likely to begin his day by meeting Mohammed Abdul Hamid, President of People’s Republic of Bangladesh at 10:30 am. Following this he will meet Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena at 10:50 am. At 11:10 am he will meet Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius. The prime minister will then meet Nepal prime minister KP Sharma Oli at 11.30 am. At 11:50 am the prime minister will hold the last of the meetings with BIMSTEC leaders. He will hold discussions with Lotay Tshering, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

In the coming days, the prime minister would also decided on the various cabinet committees such as Cabinet Committee on Security, Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs and Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. The Union Council of Ministers was sworn-in Thursday evening.

The first meeting of the new Union Cabinet is likely to be held Friday evening around 5.30 pm, official sources said. They said as of now there is no fixed agenda. The possible date of convening the Parliament session could be decided, they added. The newly-elected Lok Sabha members have to be administered oath.

The first-time parliamentarian, who is being fondly called as 'Odisha's Modi', has already created a buzz in social media where photos show him in his modest house and bathing at the village well.

However, Sarangi's association with active politics and electoral victories has not affected his lifestyle as he continues to live in a mud and bamboo house and rides a bicycle to most places, even during his earlier poll campaigns. He has dedicated his life to social work and uplift of the poor and lives like an ascetic.

The BJP leader, who has had a long associating with the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh, made his maiden entry to Lok Sabha by winning from Odisha's Balasore constituency defeating sitting BJD MP and industrialist Rabindra Kumar Jena by 12,956 votes in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

He lives in a thatched house, rides a bicycle and spends a major portion of his MLA pension to support education of poor children. For 64-year-old Pratap Sarangi, who once nurtured the desire to be a monk and lives an austere life, his hard work and dedication to people appear to have earned him a berth in the new Narendra Modi Government.

He recently shot to fame due to his extremely simple life style. A bachelor, Sarangi is said to be spending the major portion of his MLA pension to support education of poor children in his area.

"I am fortunate that PM Modi has placed his trust in me and I consider politics as a medium to serve the nation. Our party stands for — nation first, party second and self last. I will try my best to win the trust of Modi ji and common people," said Union Minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi.

The two leaders held deliberations on diversifying cooperation for the mutual benefit of citizens of both the nations, it said.

"Getting down to work after the oath-taking ceremony...PM @narendramodi held wide-ranging talks with President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of the Kyrgyz Republic," the prime minister's office tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday held wide-ranging talks with Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov who was here to attend the swearing in ceremony of the new government.

Bihar chief minister said his party was and will remain with the NDA and hold no grudges over the Cabinet berths. However, in all subtlety the key NDA ally did say that they conveyed to the party that his party doesn't need any 'symbolic representation' in the government. If the BJP makes an offer which is proportionate to our strength then the JD(U) will think about it.

Amit Shah has taken up the Ministry of Home Affairs, a portfolio he held in Gujarat Cabinet as well. Before him, Rajnath Singh held the key protfolio which is essentially responsible for internal security and the general law and order situation in the Union of India.

Lok janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan has retained his old portfolio, that is Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Likewise, Harsimrat Kaur Badal will also continue as the Minister for Food Processing industries.

Union minister Smriti Irani will retain her old portfolio of textiles, apart from which she has been awarded additional charge of the women and child development ministry, a charge which was earlier held by eight-time MP Maneka Gandhi.

He was also the education minister of Delhi. He represents Chandni Chowk in Delhi as a Member of Parliament.

Before taking the national centre stage, he was active in Delhi politics and was even touted to be the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the Assembly elections of 2014. Qualified as an Ear Nose and Throat specialist, Harsh Vardhan was also briefly in charge of the health ministry in the Delhi government.

Har Vardhan has replaced JP Nadda as Minister of Health and Family Welfare amid speculations that the latter will replace Amit Shah as BJP national president with his induction into the Cabinet. Harsh Vardhan has also retained his earlier protfolios: Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences.

In 2014, he won the Lok Sabha election from Gwalior and was made a cabinet minister, heading several ministries including mines, steel, labour and employment and rural development and panchayati raj. He returned to Morena in the 2019 election, winning by a margin of over 1.13 lakh votes.

After a brief stint as a Rajya Sabha member, Tomar was elected to the Lok Sabha from Morena in 2009.

Narendra Singh Tomar has been appointed as the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Tomar will also retain his Rural Development and Panchayati Raj ministries.

He has retained the two important ministries in the Modi cabinet that he held charge of — Law and Justice and Electronics and IT — with the addition of Communications as well.

Winning his maiden election against colleague-turned opponent Shatrughan Sinha from Patna Sahib seat in Bihar by more than 2.84 lakh votes, 65-year-old Prasad is among the few BJP leaders who have been a minister in every NDA government that came to power at the Centre in last two decades.

From a counsel holding the brief for the deity 'Ram Lalla' in the Ayodhya title suit to a moderniser spearheading the 'Digital India' initiative and clamping down on contentious practices like instant triple talaq, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad has worn many hats.

Ravi Shankar Prasad bags three key portfolios, to be incharge of Law and Justice, Communications, Electronics and IT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be in-charge of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, apart from all important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any minister.

Naqvi, who took oath as a cabinet minister on Thursday, has retained the Minority Affairs Ministry. In the previous dispensation, he was credited with major reforms in the Haj policy. During his tenure, the Haj subsidy was done away with under a new policy and women were allowed to go on the pilgrimage without Mehram or a male companion.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledging 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas' mantra, his cabinet's lone Muslim face Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will have the responsibility of winning the hearts of minorities and taking forward the 'development without appeasement' policy.

Pradhan, 50, is serving his second consecutive term in the Rajya Sabha to which he was first elected in 2010. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Deogarh, Odisha in 2004.

Pradhan, known as the Bharatiya Janata Party's face in Odisha also held the portfolio of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the last government. While skill development has been given a new face, Pradhan has been given additional responsibility of the steel sector that requires special nurturing from the new minister given sluggish market conditions and an onslaught of cheap steel imports.

Rajya Sabha member and BJP candidate from Odisha Dharmendra Pradhan will have an expanded role in the new Modi government with the former Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister retaining this key Ministry while given additional charge of the Steel Ministry.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ gets the Ministry of Human Resource Development, which was earlier held by Prakash Javadekar​.

"Whatever responsibility I have been given I will work to take it forward following prime minister's road map. I have already managed this portfolio in Bihar then I will like working in this portfolio once again," Giriraj Singh told ANI after being appointed as Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries

With Maharashtra BJP president​ Raosaheb Danve joining the Union Council of Ministers, the state unit of the ruling party is likely to get a new face to lead it in the Assembly elections scheduled later this year.​ BJP sources said a meeting of the state unit is likely to be held soon to decide Danve's successor.

State ministers Chandrakant Patil (Revenue), Subhash Deshmukh (Co-operation) and Ranjit Patil (MoS Home), all hailing from the politically-significant Maratha community, are among the names being talked about in party circles as possible successor to Danve.

Danve, re-elected from Jalna in North Maharashtra for a fifth term, was Thursday inducted in the new Modi team as a Minister of State. He has been given the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution portfolio, which he handled earlier also as part of the first Modi government. The 64-year-old BJP MP served as Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution from May 27, 2014 to March 5, 2015. He quit his ministerial post after being appointed state BJP president.

The development comes after Modi held a 30-minute meeting with Maithripala Sirisena today, which is when the Sri Lankan president reportedly extended the invite to Modi. Sirisena reacted to the development and said, "PM Modi's visit is very important to us, we are neighbors and friends, this relationship between India and Sri Lanka dates back over 2,600 years. We're eagerly awaiting for his arrival, it's a great honor for the people of Sri Lanka."

While his visit to the Maldives would underline the primacy of neighbours and India’s neighbourhood in foreign policy during Modi’s second term in office, the brief stop in Colombo is expected to convey India’s solidarity with Sri Lanka in the wake of the Easter Sunday bombings in April.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi could make a short visit to Sri Lanka on his way to or back from the Maldives in early June, during his first visit overseas in his second term.

Covering his arrival, a news channel displayed the picture of Tshering Wangchuk, chief advisor of Bhutan's interim government, with Tshering's name, while another channel telecast Tobgay's image, addressing him as the current Bhutanese premier.

Former Bhutan premier Tshering Tobgay has criticised some Indian TV channels for "insulting" his country by using the wrong photographs of current Prime Minister Lotay Tshering in their coverage of his arrival to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

The first meeting of the new cabinet will take place soon.

And the same for girls has been increased to Rs 3,000 per month from the current Rs 2,250.

The first decision taken by the NDA 2 was a hike in the scholarships under the National Defence Fund. The scholarship for boys in the NDF has been increased to Rs 2,500 per month from Rs 2,000 per month.

ANI further quoted sources as saying that the Parliament session for the budget will be held from 17 June to 26 July. The election for the Speaker will be held on 19 June.

The first meeting of the new cabinet will take place soon.

New education policy is part of government's 100-day plan. The new policy will focus on revamping the primary education system.

Our Government’s first decision dedicated to those who protect India! Major changes approved in PM’s Scholarship Scheme under the National Defence Fund including enhanced scholarships for wards of police personnel martyred in terror or Maoist attacks. https://t.co/Vm90BD77hm pic.twitter.com/iXhFNlBCIc

And the same for girls has been increased to Rs 3,000 per month from the current Rs 2,250.

The first decision taken by the NDA 2 was a hike in the scholarships under the National Defence Fund. The scholarship for boys in the NDF has been increased to Rs 2,500 per month from Rs 2,000 per month.

All farmers will get Rs 6,000 a year under PM-KISAN. Cabinet has okayed extension of this scheme.

The annual benefit of Rs 6,000 has now been extended to all farmers.

"A total of Rs 87,000 crore will be provided to farmers under the PM-KISAN Yojana," Narendra Singh Tomar, agriculture minister, said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar: Cabinet has approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri-Kisan yojana to all farmers. Nearly 14.5 crore farmers will benefit from the scheme. pic.twitter.com/a20kEzwhxS

ANI further quoted sources as saying that the Parliament session for the budget will be held from 17 June to 26 July. The election for the Speaker will be held on 19 June.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar: President Ram Nath Kovind will address the joint session of parliament on 20th June. Economic Survey will be released on 4th of July. pic.twitter.com/xCyNPIWRn4



Narendra Modi government 2.0 Latest Updates: The first decision taken by the new Union Cabinet was a hike the scholarships available under the National Defence Fund.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought in 24 new faces to the council of ministers, striking a balance in regional representation while also taking care of the states that are set to go to polls in the near future. In doing so, the prime minister also managed to bring down the overall average age of the council of ministers to a little under 60 years, a shade younger than the previous lot, who had an average of 62 years. Another notable point of the Cabinet berth allotment is the major shakeup in the top four ranks, caused primarily by the absence of Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj and the induction of Amit Shah and S Jaishankar. Rajnath has been shifted from home to defence ministry with Shah filling up that space. Nirmala Sitharaman has been shifted to finance and S Jaishankar will take over the ministry of external affairs after working in the ministry as India's foreign secretary.

Nirmala Sitharaman Friday assumed charge as Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs hours after portfolios were announced.

Piyush Goyal, reassigned the charge of the crucial railway ministry, is likely to focus on safety, generation of non-fare revenue, track renewal, modernisation and increase in the production of state-of-the-art coaches in his second stint at the helm of the national transporter, official sources said Friday. Goyal, who had pushed for generating resources through non-fare revenue, had hit a stonewall during his last stint, but the minister is likely to drive this idea as he believes that this will bring in additional funds to boost the beleaguered railways' finances.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be in-charge of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, apart from all important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any minister.

Former foreign secretary, S. Jaishankar, replaced Sushma Swaraj as the Minister of External Affairs. A former ambassador to the United States and China, Jaishankar led India’s diplomatic corps during Modi’s first term before retiring in early 2018 and subsequently joining the Tata Group conglomerate.

The former foreign secretary, a surprise pick in the Modi government, carries with him more than three decades of diplomatic experience. A 1977-batch IFS officer, Jaishankar is the son of late K Subrahmanyam, one of India's leading strategic analysts. ​Jaishankar was also a key member of the Indian team which negotiated the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal.

Smriti Irani was rewarded with the Women and Child Welfare ministry, a charge she will take over from her party colleague Maneka Gandhi. She will also retain her previous portfolio of textile industries. Meanwhile Piyush Goayal, a key minister in the Modi Cabinet during the previous term, will again head the Railway Ministry. A chartered accountant by profession, he will also handle the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The list of portfolios allocated to the various ministers is finally out. There is a major shake up in the top Capinet ranks. Rajnath Singh who held the Home Ministry earlier has now got the defence ministry. Nirmala Sitharaman, the former defence minister will succeed Arun Jaitley as the finance minister. Meanwhile, Amit Shah has taken up the Ministry of Home Affairs, a portfolio he held in Gujarat Cabinet as well.

Bihar chief minister said his party was and will remain with the NDA and hold no grudges over the Cabinet berths. However, in all subtlety the key NDA ally did say that they conveyed to the party that his party doesn't need any 'symbolic representation' in the government. If the BJP makes an offer which is proportionate to our strength then the JD(U) will think about it.

"They made us an offer of one seat in the council of ministers like other NDA allies. I conveyed this to the party and everyone was of the opinion that a small symbolic representation it is not required. We are anyway with the NDA. But if they talk about a symbolic representation then we will think about it. But we are not holding any grudges," Nitish said.

The details of portfolio allocation will be out shortly and the Cabinet ministers are expected to take charge before today's meeting in the evening. In the coming days, the prime minister would also decided on the various cabinet committees such as Cabinet Committee on Security, Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs and Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. The Union Council of Ministers was sworn-in Thursday evening.

The first meeting of the new Union Cabinet is likely to be held Friday evening around 5.30 pm, official sources said. They said as of now there is no fixed agenda. The possible date of convening the Parliament session could be decided, they added. The newly-elected Lok Sabha members have to be administered oath.

Speculations about Amit Shah getting the next finance ministry portfolio may have caused the markets to react positively. Perhaps this the extension of a warm welcome to its own member. Amit Shah's official profession, according to his affidavit, is share trading and even his father was a stock trader who had his own terminal.

The prime minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with BIMSTEC leaders from 10.30 am onwards so it is expected that before leaving for Hyderabad House, where the meetings will take place, he will send the portfolios communication to President House for formal notification of the same.

The names included in the Council of Ministers show that the BJP tried to pull a balancing act as far as regional representation was concerned. The second Narendra Modi-led government has the maximum representation of 10 faces from the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who represents Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, followed by seven from Maharashtra and six from Bihar.

The Modi government 2.0 also has three ministers each from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka followed by two each from West Bengal, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. The voters had given the BJP a clean sweep in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana.

The states of West Bengal and Odisha gave massive gains to the Bharatiya Janata Party as it won 303 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha in the national election.

West Bengal, where Assembly polls are due in 2021, gave the saffron party 18 MPs. However, it is being represented by only two ministers-- Babul Supriyo and Debasree Chaudhuri.

Odisha, where the BJP won eight seats, is being represented by Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Chandra Sarangi. Pradhan has been elected to the upper house from Bihar.

The new Council of Ministers has representation from almost all the states, except Andhra Pradesh and the north-eastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura.

Besides Modi, the ministers representing Uttar Pradesh are Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Sanjeev Balyan, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, V K Singh, Santosh Gangwar, Hardeep

Singh Puri and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The BJP won 62 seats in the state while its ally bagged two.

Ministers from Maharashtra include Nitin Gadkari, Prakash Javadekar, Piyush Goyal, Arvind Sawant, Danve Patil, Ramdas Athawale and Shamrao Dhotre while those from Bihar Bihar include

Ram Vilas Paswan, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Giriraj Singh, R K Singh, Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Nityanand Rai, while those.

Uttar Pradesh sends the maximum of 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, Maharashtra and Bihar send 48 and 40 MPs respectively.

Modi gave representation to members from Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand as the states will be going to polls later this year.

Jharkhand is being represented by Arjun Munda while Naqvi, who is a Rajya Sabha member from the state, hails from Uttar Pradesh. Despite the BJP bagging all seven parliamentary seats in Delhi, only Harsh Vardhan-- the winning MP from Chandni Chowk-- could find place in the Modi 2.0 cabinet.

Also inducted into the cabinet were Nirmala Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka who hails from Tamil Nadu and with V Muraleedharan, who represents Kerala in the Council of ministers but has been elected to the upper house from Maharashtra.