Jayalalithaa and 28 of her cabinet colleagues sworn in

Chennai: AIADMK supremo and chief minister J Jayalalithaa and her 28 cabinet colleagues were sworn in by Governor K. Rosaiah on May 23 at the Madras University Centenary Hall.

The list of Ministers has 13 new faces and four women including Jayalalithaa, who will hold the portfolios of Public, Police, General Administration and Home.

O. Panneerselvam will be the Finance Minister, while Edappadi K. Palanisamy will be in charge of PWD.

Sellur K. Raju, who will continue to hold Cooperation, will also get Labour. Others who were also part of the previous ministry are: R. Kamaraj (Food); C. Vijaya Baskar (Health); R.B. Udhaya Kumar (Revenue); P. Thangamani (Electricity and Prohibition); S.P. Velumani ( Municipal Administration and Rural Development); D. Jayakumar (Fisheries); S.P. Shanmuganathan (Milk and Dairy Development); M.C. Sampath (Industries); C.Ve. Shanmugam ( Law, Courts and Prisons); and K.P. Anbazhagan (Higher Education).

The new faces are V. Saroja (Social Welfare); Udumalai Radhakrishnan (Housing and Urban Development); R. Duraikannu (Agriculture and Animal Husbandry); P. Benjamin (School Education); ‘Vellamandi’ Natarajan (Tourism); V.M. Rajalakshmi (Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare); S. Valarmathi (Backward Classes and Minority Welfare); Dr. Manikandan (IT); M.R. Vijayabhaskar (Transport); K.C. Karupannan (Environment); O.S. Manian (Handlooms and Textiles); Kadambur Raju (Information and Publicity); and Dindigul C. Srinivasan (Forest). S. Semmalai has been named pro-tem Speaker.

Some senior ministers have been rewarded with additional ministries. Highways and minor ports minister Edappadi K Palaniswami also gets public works department, while cooperative minister Sellur K Raju gets labour as well. Municipal administration and rural administration minister S P Velumani has been entrusted with 'special programme,' the department in charge of delivery of welfare schemes.

Team Jayalalithaa

J Jayalalithaa - Chief Minister; Minister in charge for Public, IAS, IPS, IFS, General Administration, District Revenue Officers, Police and Home

O. Panneerselvam - Finance, Personnel and Administrative Reforms

Dindigul Srinivasan - Forest

Edappadi K. Palaniswami - Highways, Public works, and minor ports

Sellur K. Raju - Cooperation and labour

Thangamani - Electricity, prohibition and excise

V.P. Velumani - Municipal Administration, Rural Development and Implementation of Special Programme

D. Jayakumar - Fisheries

C.Ve. Shanmugam - Law, Courts and Prisons

K.P. Anbazhagan - Higher Education

Dr. V. Saroja - Social Welfare, Nutritious Noon Meal Programme

K.C. Karuppannan - Environment

M.C. Sampath - Industries

R. Kamaraj - Food, Civil Supplies and HR&CE

O.S. Manian - Handlooms and Textiles

Udumalai Radhakrishnan - Housing and Urban Development

C. Vijayabhaskar - Health and Family Welfare

S.P. Shanmuganathan - Milk and Dairy Development

R. Duraikannu - Agriculture and Animal Husbandry

Kadambur Raju - Information and Publicity

 R.B. Udayakumar - Revenue

K.T. Rajenthra Bhalaji - Rural Industries

K.C. Veeramani - Commercial Taxes

P. Benjamin - School Education, Sports and Youth Welfare

Vellamandi N. Natarajan - Tourism

S. Valarmathi - Backward classes and minority welfare

V.M. Rajalakshmi - Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare

Dr. M. Manikandan - Information and Technology

M.R. Vijayabhaskar - Transport

Among those who attended the function were Union ministers Venkaiah Naidu and Pon Radhakrishnan, DMK treasurer M K Stalin and a few DMK MLAs.