'My Programmes Were Already Fixed': Uma Bharti On Skipping Cabinet Reshuffle

Union Minister Uma Bharti on Sunday refuted the reports of being upset over the Cabinet reshuffle, clarifying that her programmes were pre-planned.

Talking to the media here, Bharti said, "My programmes were already fixed. I always come here to attend this programme. These are affiliated to the initiative by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called 'Sankalp se Siddhi'. I had seen some news on the TV claiming that I am upset. I want to clear I am not upset."

Uma Bharti, who was earlier the Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, has now been made the Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

The Cabinet rejig saw the promotion of as many as four Ministers of State to the rank of Cabinet ministers.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been given the charge of the Railway Ministry.

This comes after Suresh Prabhu formally bade adieu to the 'rail family' on Twitter, earlier in the day. He has now been assigned the portfolio of the Minister of Commerce and Industry.

Goyal has also been declared as the Minister of Coal.

Nirmala Sitharaman has been assigned the charge of the Defence Ministry, becoming only the second woman to hold the post since late Indira Gandhi.

Dharmendra Pradhan has been promoted to the Cabinet rank of Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, has been now made the Minister of Minority Affairs.

Other ministers who are handed over bigger responsibilities and who, probably, lost their credentials are:

-Arun Jaitley will keep Finance Portfolio and Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

-Nitin Gadkari gets the additional charge of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development Ganga Rejuvenation.

-Shiv Pratap Shukla - promoted as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance

-Ashwini Kumar Choubey - promoted as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

-Virendra Kumar - - promoted as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs

-Anant Kumar Hegde - the Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

-Raj Kumar Singh - the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power and the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

-Hardeep Puri - the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

-Gajendra Singh Shekhawat - the Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

-Satya Pal Singh - the Minister of State in the Ministry of Women Resource Development and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources, Rural Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

-Alphons Kannanthanam - the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Tourism and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

-Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar also gets Ministry of Mines

-Also, Vijay Goel, earlier the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, has now been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

-Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has been given the Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports (ANI)