After a protracted delay, portfolios of Ministers in the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister and AINRC founder N. Rangasamy have been announced on Wednesday.

As per government notification, Mr. Rangasamy will handle Confidential and Cabinet Department, Planning and Finance, Revenue and Excise, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Health and Family Welfare, Local Administration, Transport, Town and Country Planning, Information and Publicity, Urban Basic Services, General Administration, Waqf Board, Science, Technology and Environment, Cooperation and other subjects which are not allocated to other Ministers.

BJP Minister in the NDA Cabinet A. Nammassivayam will handle Home, besides dealing with subjects such as Animal Husbandry, Electricity, Education including Collegiate Education, Forest and Wild Life and Law. The other BJP Minister in the Cabinet, G.N.S. Rajasekaran, will look after portfolios, such as Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Sports and Youth Affairs, DRDA, Community Development, Rural Development and Sainik Welfare.

The AINRC Minister Malladi Krishna Rao will handle Public Works, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, Port, Industries and Commerce and Labour and Employment. Minister P. Rajavelu, who also represents the AINRC, will look after Adi Dravidar Welfare, Art and Culture, Housing, Information Technology, Economics and Statistics and Stationary and Printing.

Another AINRC Minister in the Cabinet V. P. Sivakolundhu has been given the subjects of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Social Welfare, Backward Class Welfare, Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs.

The NDA government had faced severe criticism for the delay in providing a functional Cabinet though the Assembly election results were announced on May 4. After the results were declared, Mr. Rangasamy and two other Ministers (one from AINRC and one from BJP) were sworn-in on May 13. A month later, three more Ministers (two from AINRC and one from BJP) were sworn-in on June 17. However, the distribution of portfolios among the Cabinet members was delayed.