With Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday affecting a minor re-allocation of portfolios to his Cabinet, minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge will once again be in-charge of Information Technology and Biotechnology, a key department in the state.
Kharge will take care of IT & BT along with existing portfolio, while Large & Medium Industries Minister M B Patil has been given the additional charge of Infrastructure Development.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge, who is the current Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister, had also handled the IT/BT department in the previous Siddaramaiah government.
The IT/BT portfolio is key to Karnataka's economy as Bengaluru is the IT capital of the country.
The Chief Minister has divested himself of both these portfolios.
According to sources, initially, Patil was given the IT & BT portfolio along with Industries. However, in a subsequent revision the department went to Kharge along with Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. With Patil keen on IT & BT, apparently opposing this move, Siddarmaiah had kept the portfolio with himself.
Kharge was Minister for IT & BT in the earlier Siddaramaiah-led Congress government.
