Cabinet Ministers assume office, pledge to give their best

A number of ministers including Nirmala Sitharaman, who got the crucial finance portfolio, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Prakash Javadekar and Ramvilas Paswan took charge of their ministries a day after they were sworn-in.

Most of the ministers said they would have to study the issues in their new portfolios before they could make comments while Goyal who has retained railways said reforms would be made in both passenger and cargo services.

He also said, "This term means continuity with change. We will continue the work started under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Fresh ideas and fresh initiatives will be implemented."

Goyal who was also been given commerce portfolio took charge of the ministry in the presence of Suresh Prabhu, who has been dropped in the the new government.

Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan, thanked Prime Minister Modi for reposing his faith in him again and said that he would work harder to ensure the country's energy requirements are met.

"I want to thank Prime Minister Modi for giving me the important portfolio of Petroleum and Energy again. In the past five years, many important initiatives of the NDA government had a positive impact on people's life. We will work harder than the past five years to increase the production of petrol and other products," Pradhan said.

Similarly, several junior ministers in the new Modi government also expressed confidence that they would fulfil the trust reposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in them and carry out his vision for the second dispensation under him.

V K Singh whose performance as Minister of State (MoS) External Affairs was appreciated for pulling off missions like evacuating immigrants from war-torn Yemen, and now deployed in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said, "PM Modi's decisions are always thought out. I will first understand the new ministry and ensure that the ministry's performance brings change in people's lives and enhances the credibility of the government."

Appointed as the HRD minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal, described his ministry as "the backbone" of the nation and said, "Whatever PM Modi has decided must be good. I will try my best."

Giriraj Singh, who was MoS (Independent charge) in the MSME ministry in the first term of the Modi government, said as minister for mal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries said he has already handled this portfolio in Bihar and "I will try to take this ministry to new heights."

In his comments after being retained as the MoS (independent charge) Labour and Employment, Santosh Gangwar said, "This government's major focus will be on people employed in the informal sectors. The focus of this ministry has always been on 20 workers in a factory at the cost of more than 50 % of the workforce in the informal sector."

Senior BJP leader from Karnataka and cabinet minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who has been given the portfolio of Chemicals and Ferrtilisers said, "Farmers will be one of the biggest priorities of our ministry. Apart from farmers, issues such as medicine and fertilisers will also be in focus."

Nityanand Rai, who has been made junior minister of Home Affairs, said, "I will do very hard work to fulfill the expectations of the Prime Minister."

( With inputs from ANI )