The newly elected NDA-led government has assigned separate Cabinet ministers for the Ministry of Power (MoP) and the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE).
This is unlike the previous two NDA-led regimes that always had a single minister for these two portfolios.
In the ministerial portfolio allocation announced on June 10, 2024, Manohar Lal Khattar was made Union Cabinet minister for power while Pralhad Joshi has been assigned the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) portfolio, also with Cabinet rank.
Khattar was former Chief Minister of Haryana and is a senior lead of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Incidentally, he will also hold the Ministry of Urban Affairs portfolio.
Meanwhile, Shripad Yesso Naik has been appointed as Minister of State (MoS) for two ministries – MoP and MNRE.
This is also the first time in the NDA-led government that the MoP and MNRE will see ministers of Cabinet rank and State rank. In the previous two editions of the NDA-led government, these two ministries had either Ministers of Cabinet rank or Ministers of State with independent charge.
Past ministers of MoP, MNRE under NDA
- R.K. Singh: Union Minister (Cabinet Rank), Power & MNRE [July 2021 to June 2024]
- R.K. Singh: Minister of State (Independent Charge), Power & MNRE [September 2017 to July 2021]
- Piyush Goyal: Minister of State (Independent Charge), Power, MNRE & Coal [May 2014 to July 2021]
Council of Ministers: NDA-III
The Union Council of Ministers under NDA-III, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has 72 members including 30 Cabinet ministers, 36 Ministers of State and 5 Ministers of State (with Independent Charge).
Featured photograph shows Manohar Lal Khattar, the newly-appointed Union Power Minister, assuming office. (Photo: Press Information Bureau)