india

Updated: Jun 08, 2019 23:55 IST

Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy appointed a Dalit woman as the home minister in the new state cabinet that was sworn in on Saturday.

Mekathoti Sucharita, who represents Prathipadu, a constituency in Guntur district that is reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Castes category, and five deputy chief ministers — another first for the state — were sworn in by governor ESL Narasimhan along with 19 others at the state secretariat at Velagapudi in Amaravati. The new YSR Congress government also announced the scrapping of contribution-based pension scheme of its employees on Saturday.

M Sucharita is the first woman home minister since Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. Five deputy CMs Pamula Pushpa Srivani (minister of tribal welfare), Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose (minister of revenue, stamps and registration), Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas alias Nani (minister of health, family welfare and medical education), K Narayana Swamy (minister of excise and prohibition), and Amzad Basha (minister of minority welfare) were also sworn in.

Reddy had announced that all the cabinet ministers will hold their charge for 30 months after which a re-shuffle will take place.

Senior MLA and former Public Accounts Committee chairman Buggana Rajendranath Reddy was given charge of finance, planning and legislative affairs.

Botsa Satyanarayana got Municipal Administration and Urban Development, a key department that will oversee the development of the states new capital city Amaravati. Senior legislator SVC Appalanaidu was on Saturday sworn-in as the pro-tem speaker of the assembly.

Reddy’s cabinet has three women, including Aneti Vanitha (minister of women development and child welfare) and Srivani.

On Saturday, the government announced the scrapping of contribution-based pension scheme of its employees. Reddy also announced granting of 27% of the salary as Interim Relief to all the employees pending revision of pay scales. He also increased the salaries of contract workers with immediate effect.