43 Ministers Take Oath In PM Modi’s Cabinet Reboot

Some of the government’s most high profile ministers quit ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet reshuffle, with 36 new ministers joining the government and seven getting promotions.

The exits of IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar stood out on a day those who resigned were the bigger news than the entrants.

All three were seen at the oath ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where new ministers were sworn in.

“20 per cent” ministers – a fifth of the council of ministers — have been dropped in an attempt to reset the government at a time it is facing criticism over Covid and the state of the economy.

Big changes are likely after the vacancies, but the Big Four are unlikely to be affected – the Ministers of Home, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Finance.