Team Herald
PANJIM: The 12-day-old Pramod Sawant government was expanded on Saturday with the induction of three Cabinet Ministers.
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Former Deputy Chief Minister and MGP MLA Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar, BJP Tivim MLA Nilkanth Halarnkar and Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldesai were administered oath of office and secrecy by Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai at the Durbar hall of Raj Bhavan.
With this the Sawant government has reached its full strength of 12 ministers. Earlier, nine ministers, including the Chief Minister, were sworn-in on March 28.
Sawant, a few cabinet colleagues, MLAs, government officers and a large number of party workers and supporters attended the swearing-in ceremony.
However, three Ministers – Ravi Naik, Mauvin Godinho and Govind Gaude – all widely known as being against the induction of Dhavalikar were conspicuous by their absence.
All three new Ministers took oath in Marathi. Phaldesai, who earlier the same morning resigned as Deputy Speaker is the only new face in the Cabinet. With Dhavalikar’s induction, all MLAs from Ponda taluka have found representation in the council of ministers.
After the swearing in ceremony the Chief Minister told media persons that portfolios will be allocated to the new ministers within a week. He said that it took six days to allocate portfolios to the Cabinet Ministers who were sworn in on March 28 and this time it may take longer.
Asked whether he will allocate them new portfolios or whether there would be a reshuffle of portfolios, Sawant said that the Ministers have just been sworn-in and declined to comment further.
All three Ministers said that they will do justice to the portfolios that will be allocated to them by the Chief Minister.
