CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Harcharan Singh Brar, expanded his four month old 1 member Council of Ministers by inducting 25 more ministers in the fourth expansion of his Cabinet this week.
They include two ministers in the Cabinet rank, eight ministers of state and 16 deputy ministers. Mr. Brar was to induct 17 deputy ministers but Mr. Jagtar Singh Multani who was taken in as Deputy Minister could not take oath, He would be administered the oath later.
The jumbo sized Cabinet would at present have 42 ministers as one Deputy Minister has been elevated ad Minister of State and 43 with the swearing in of Mr, Multani.
The Governor, Lt. Gen. (reid) B.K.N, Chhibber administered the oath of office and secrecy in the lawns of the Raj Bhavan. A number of civil and police officers and relatives of the Ministers were present at the ceremony. The swearing in ceremony started about 25 minutes later than the scheduled time of 4 p.m. Rather, this has been the hallmark of every Cabinet expansion by Mr. Brar. That the number of those added to the Cabinet would be much more than the expectation of about a dozen was clear from the number of mikes on the stage seven in a row, and five chairs for the signing of the papers by the new ministers. The oath bad to be administered in batches, something new in Punjab. It came as a surprise to many when the name of Mrs, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal was announced.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 10, 1996
