IMPHAL, Jan 13 � Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has made a major reshuffle in the Congress-led Secular Progressive Front(SPF) ministry, the second time since it came to power in 2007.
However, no new minister was inducted into the ministry as expected by the observers. Wednesday�s reshuffle may be the last in the present term of the SPF-II government as its term enters the fifth year and election will take place most probably in the last part of this year or early part of next year.
Political observers here felt that the Chief Minister is unlikely to fulfill the promises he had made to his MLAs who helped him to successfully tackle the dissidence he had faced in 2008 and 2009.
The portfolio of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (CAF & PD) has been taken away from Yumkham Erabot and given as an additional portfolio to Irrigation and Flood Control Minister N Biren.
Erabot will now be holding the charge of Commerce and Industries, Sericulture, and Printing and Stationery.
It also affected N Loken as the Agriculture portfolio was taken away from him and he was allocated the charge of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry besides Social Welfare and Minor Irrigation.
The lone CPI minister Ph Parijat has been given the charges of Agriculture, Command Area Development Authority and Labour and Employment.
Re-allocation of portfolios also affected L Jayentakumar whose earlier charge of Education, Transport and Sericulture was taken away and he has been given the charge of Health and Family Welfare, Corporation.
The reshuffle totally changed the portfolios of DD Thaisii who got Education and Science & Technology. Earlier, he was in charge of Tribal Development, District Council and Hills and Veterinary and Animal Husbandry.
Besides N Biren, Works Minister K Ranjit and Power Minister Phungzathang Tonsing were the others who have gained from the reshuffle. But the reshuffle did not affect Law Minister Th Debendra Singh, Tourism Minister TN Haokip and Minorities Affairs Minister Md Alauddin Khan. The Chief Minister�s portfolios were also unaffected.
