Arvind Kejriwal swore-in as the chief minister of Delhi for the third consecutive time at Ramlila Maidan, on Sunday, 16 February. After AAP’s resounding performance in Delhi – winning 62 seats in the Assembly – all eyes were on who Kejriwal would choose as his council of ministers.
Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, Imran Hussain, Rajendra Pal Gautam, Kailash Gahlot and Gopal Rai took oath as ministers – all retained from Kejriwal’s 2015 Cabinet. But who are they? Let’s take a look.
Satyendra Jain: Man Behind Mohalla Clinics
Senior AAP leader and Shakur Basti MLA Satyendra Jain took oath as minister. In the previous cabinet, Jain served as the health minister and is likely to retain his portfolio, reports PTI.
Jain was known for being involved in expanding mohalla clinics and improving facilities in hospitals in Delhi. In January 2020, Jain, along with Kejriwal had jointly inaugurated 152 mohalla clinics, taking their total number to 450, according to PTI.
Manish Sisodia: Credited With Education Reforms & Kejriwal’s Deputy
Patparganj MLA and senior AAP leader is not new to Kejriwal's cabinet. Apart from being sworn-in in 2020, he also took oath as minister in Kejriwal's cabinet in 2013 and 2015. Sisodia has been credited with being the brains behind AAP government's education reforms in Delhi – which have led to improvement in the quality of education and infrastructure of government schools.
A journalist by profession, Sisodia has been alongside Kejriwal since 2006, playing an instrumental role in the Jan Lokpal movement. He headed the Finance, Education, Tourism, Planning, Land and Building, Vigilance, Services, Women and Child Affairs, Art, Culture and Language ministries, reports IANS.
Imran Hussain: Imposed Vehicular Emission Standards
Ballimaran MLA Imran Hussain fought his first election in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections and was inducted as a minister when AAP came to power. He headed the Food and Supply, and Elections Departments. He was also initially in charge of the Forest and Environment Department.
According to IANS, Hussain took the decision of shutting down the Badarpur and Rajghat thermal plants. He also made it mandatory for vehicles to have Euro VI standards for vehicular emissions from 2017.
Rajendra Pal Gautam: Focus on Social Welfare
Seemapuri MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam was responsible for the Social welfare, SC and ST, Cooperative and Gurudwara Elections departments. He was elected to the Delhi Assembly in 2015 and has been known for his work in the field of eradicating manual scavenging from Delhi, reports IANS.
Kailash Gahlot: MLA from Najafgarh
Najafgarh MLA Kailash Gahlot was elected to the Delhi Assembly in 2015. He was responsible for the Transport, Revenue, Law and Justice, Legislative Affairs, Information and Technology, and Administrative Reforms departments.
Gopal Rai: MLA from Babarpur
Gopal Rai, the MLA from Babarpur, headed the Labour, Employment, Development and General Administration departments in 2015 Assembly elections. He has been credited with the struggle for raising the minimum wages in Delhi to almost double, according to IANS.
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