Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his third consecutive term in office today at his South Block office in Delhi, after yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony. Leading a 72-member Union Council of Ministers, he signed the first document related to the farmers’ welfare scheme. He approved the release of the 17th installment of the PM Kisan Nidhi funds. This installment will benefit about 93 million farmers and distribute approximately Rs 20,000 crore.

The newly sworn-in Prime Minister’s first order of business includes a cabinet meeting. During this meeting, the cabinet will probably officially ask President Droupadi Murmu to call a session of Parliament. This session will feature the President’s address to both houses, where the government’s objectives and priorities for the upcoming term will be outlined.

मैं शपथ ग्रहण समारोह का हिस्सा बने दुनियाभर के गणमान्य अतिथियों का भी हृदय से आभारी हूं। विश्व बंधु के रूप में भारत सदैव अपने निकट साझेदारों के साथ मिलकर मानवता के हित में काम करता रहेगा। pic.twitter.com/aAmDSiz4LA

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 9, 2024

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The new cabinet includes prominent BJP leaders such as Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, and S Jaishankar.

The Council of Ministers is composed of 30 Cabinet Ministers, five Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and 36 Ministers of State. Among the newly appointed ministers are three former chief ministers.

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The first meeting of the new cabinet is scheduled to take place this evening at the Prime Minister’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg. The allocation of portfolios is expected to follow shortly thereafter.

In this new cabinet, there is significant representation from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with Bihar securing four cabinet berths and Uttar Pradesh receiving nine ministerial positions. Additionally, forty-two ministers are from the Other Backward Class (OBC), Scheduled Caste (SC), and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. However, there is no Muslim representation in the new cabinet.

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