Modi 3.0: New Faces and Continuity in India’s Third-Term Cabinet

A day after taking the oath of office for a historic third consecutive term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the portfolios for his 71-member Council of Ministers. The new Union Cabinet convened its first meeting at the PM’s residence, followed by the release of the comprehensive list of ministerial responsibilities.

Stability in Key Security Positions

Highlighting a commitment to continuity, PM Modi retained four high-profile ministers in his Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, and S. Jaishankar will continue to helm the Home, Defence, Finance, and External Affairs ministries respectively. This stable core underscores the administration’s focus on maintaining consistent leadership in critical security and economic areas.

Prominent New Entrants

Among the new faces in the Union Cabinet, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been allocated the Agriculture and Rural Development ministries. BJP President J.P. Nadda has returned to the Health Ministry, a portfolio he managed during Modi’s first term before leading the BJP as working president in 2019 and then as full-fledged president in 2020.

Portfolios for BJP Allies

The BJP’s allies have secured significant ministerial roles in the new Cabinet. JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy has been given charge of the Heavy Industries and Steel ministries. Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM-Secular) will oversee the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry, and Lalan Singh (JD-U) will manage the Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying Ministries. TDP’s K. Rammohan Naidu has been assigned the Civil Aviation Ministry, and Chirag Paswan of the LJP (Ram Vilas) will handle the Food Processing Industries Ministry. Among Ministers of State with Independent Charge, BJP ally and RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary has been allocated the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry, while Shiv Sena’s Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao will handle the Ayush Ministry.

Detailed Breakdown of Key Cabinet Ministers

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space
• Rajnath Singh: Ministry of Defence
• Amit Shah: Ministry of Home Affairs; Ministry of Cooperation
• Nitin Gadkari: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
• J.P. Nadda: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare; Ministry of Rural Development
• Nirmala Sitharaman: Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Corporate Affairs
• Subrahmanyam Jaishankar: Ministry of External Affairs
• Manohar Lal Khattar: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Ministry of Power
• H.D. Kumaraswamy (JD-S): Ministry of Heavy Industries; Ministry of Steel
• Piyush Goyal: Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Dharmendra Pradhan: Ministry of Education
• Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM): Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
• Lalan Singh (JD-U): Ministry of Panchayati Raj; Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
• Sarbananda Sonowal: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
• Virendra Kumar: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• K. Rammohan Naidu (TDP): Ministry of Civil Aviation
• Prahlad Joshi: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
• Jual Oram: Ministry of Tribal Affairs
• Giriraj Singh: Ministry of Textiles
• Ashwini Vaishnaw: Ministry of Railways; Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
• Jyotiraditya Scindia: Ministry of Communications; Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
• Bhupendra Yadav: Ministry of Environment and Forests
• Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: Ministry of Tourism; Ministry of Culture
• Annpurna Devi: Ministry of Women & Child Development
• Kiren Rijiju: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; Ministry of Minority Affairs
• Hardeep Singh Puri: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
• Mansukh Mandaviya: Ministry of Labour & Employment; Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
• G. Kishan Reddy: Ministry of Coal; Ministry of Mines
• Chirag Paswan (LJP-RV): Ministry of Food Processing Industries
• C.R. Patil: Ministry of Jal Shakti

Ministers of State with Independent Charge

• Rao Inderjit Singh: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Ministry of Planning; Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture
• Jitendra Singh: Ministry of Science and Technology; Ministry of Earth Sciences; Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; Minister of State in the Department of Space
• Arjun Ram Meghwal: Ministry of Law and Justice; Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
• Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav: Ministry of Ayush; Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Jayant Chaudhary (RLD): Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; Minister of State in the Ministry of Education

Ministers of State

• Jitin Prasada: MoS Ministry of Commerce and Industry; MoS Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
• Shripad Yesso Naik: MoS Ministry of Power; MoS Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
• Pankaj Chaudhary: MoS Ministry of Finance
• Krishan Pal: MoS Ministry of Cooperation
• Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A): MoS Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• Ram Nath Thakur: MoS Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• Nityanand Rai: MoS Ministry of Home Affairs
• Anupriya Singh Patel: MoS Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; MoS Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
• V. Somanna: MoS Ministry of Jal Shakti; MoS Ministry of Railways
• Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (TDP): MoS Ministry of Rural Development; MoS Ministry of Communications
• S.P. Singh Baghel: MoS Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; MoS Ministry of Panchayati Raj
• Shobha Karandlaje: MoS Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; MoS Ministry of Labour and Employment
• Kirti Vardhan Singh: MoS Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; MoS Ministry of External Affairs
• B.L. Verma: MoS Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; MoS Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• Shantanu Thakur: MoS Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
• Suresh Gopi: MoS Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; MoS Ministry of Tourism
• L. Murugan: MoS Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; MoS Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
• Ajay Tamta: MoS Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
• Bandi Sanjay Kumar: MoS Ministry of Home Affairs
• Kamlesh Paswan: MoS Ministry of Rural Development
• Bhagirath Choudhary: MoS Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• Satish Chandra Dubey: MoS Ministry of Coal; MoS Ministry of Mines
• Sanjay Seth: MoS Ministry of Defence
• Ravneet Singh Bittu: MoS Ministry of Food Processing Industries; MoS Ministry of Railways
• Durga Das Uikey: MoS Ministry of Tribal Affairs
• Raksha Nikhil Khadse: MoS Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
• Sukanta Majumdar: MoS Ministry of Education; MoS Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
• Savitri Thakur: MoS Ministry of Women and Child Development
• Tokhan Sahu: MoS Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
• Raj Bhushan Choudhary: MoS Ministry of Jal Shakti
• Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma: MoS Ministry of Heavy Industries; MoS Ministry of Steel
• Harsh Malhotra: MoS Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; MoS Ministry of Corporate Affairs
• Nimuben Bambhania: MoS Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
• Murlidhar Mohol: MoS Ministry of Cooperation; MoS Ministry of Civil Aviation
• George Kurian: MoS Ministry of Minority Affairs; MoS Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
• Pabitra Margherita: MoS Ministry of External Affairs; MoS Ministry of Textiles

Reflecting Diversity

The new council reflects a wide representation across various regions and social groups in India

. It includes 27 ministers from Other Backward Classes, 10 from Scheduled Castes, 5 from Scheduled Tribes, and 5 from minority communities. Notably, 18 senior ministers will be leading their respective ministries.

Experienced and New Faces

The Modi Cabinet 3.0 comprises 43 ministers with three or more terms in Parliament, 39 with previous central government experience, multiple former chief ministers, and 34 ministers with state legislature experience. Additionally, there are 33 first-time ministers, including seven from BJP allies.

Session and Strength

The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha is set to begin on June 18, with the President addressing a joint session on June 21. MPs will take their oaths on June 18-19, followed by the Speaker’s election on June 20. The Council of Ministers’ total strength is nine short of the constitutional limit, reflecting the BJP’s solid majority in the Lok Sabha with 240 seats, and the NDA’s overall tally of 293 seats.