Chandigarh (Punjab): Ten ministers were sworn in on Saturday in Punjab, with the senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Harpal Singh Cheema and Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal joining the Bhagwant Mann led Cabinet in the state. The ministers took the oath of office at a swearing-in ceremony in Chandigarh at Raj Bhawan. The oath was administered by Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Besides Cheema and Dhaliwal, the AAP MLAs -- Dr Baljit Kaur, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Dr Vijay Singla, Lal Chand Kataruchak, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Laljit Singh Bhullar, Brahm Shankar Jimpa and Harjot Singh Bains -- were sworn in at the ceremony in the Raj Bhavan. Besides Mann, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya was also present at the oath-taking ceremony. Mann's daughter Seerat Kaur Mann and son Dilshan Mann were also present on the occasion. "The new cabinet of Punjab will take oath tomorrow. Many, many congratulations to all the ministers who will be in the AAP government of Punjab. The people of Punjab have given a big responsibility to all of us. We have to serve the people by working hard day and night, and give them an honest government. We have to make Rangla Punjab," Mann had tweeted on Friday while announcing the cabinet.
The leaders who are a part of the cabinet are Harpal Singh Cheema, Baljit Kaur, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Vijay Singla, Lal Chand Kataruchak, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Laljit Singh Bhullar, Bram Shanker, and Harjot Singh Bains. Among the 10 ministers, eight are first-time MLAs. The portfolios are yet to be announced. Considering the educational background of ministers on Mann's cabinet, two of them - Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Lal Chand Kataruchak - are 10th pass while two ministers are 12th pass, one of which is Bhagwant Mann himself. Harpal Cheema holds a law degree from Punjab University, while Baljit Kaur quit her government job three months before joining the Aam Aadmi Party. Harbhajan Singh became ETO in 2012 after qualifying the PCS exam, while Dr. Vijay Singla is a dentist by profession. Meet Hayer is also well-educated with a B.Tech degree from PTU Jalandhar.
Speaking of the wealth and assets owned by these ministers, 80 percent of them are in the cream layer, leaving only two who fall in the middle financial strata. CM Bhagwant Mann himself is a millionaire, while Harpal Singh Cheema, Baljit Kaur, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Vijay Singla, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Laljit Singh Bhullar, Bram Shanker, Harjot Singh Bains are others among the rich ministers. The richest minister among them is Bram Shanker, a 56-year-old with assets worth Rs 8.56 crore. Lal Chand Kataruchak with assets worth of Rs 6.19 lakh and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer with assets worth Rs 44.06 lakh are the remaining two with comparatively lower assets. Considering the caste and gender dynamics of the cabinet, 4 of the ministers are Jatt Sikhs, 3 are Hindus and 4 are Dalits, with only one woman minister, Dr. Baljit Kaur.
Earlier, on March 17, Punjab's newly-elected MLAs including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took oath as members of the Legislative Assembly. The legislators were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Protem Speaker Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar. AAP leader and the party's face for recently held Punjab assembly polls took oath as the Chief Minister of the state on March 16. AAP recorded a landslide victory in the recently concluded Punjab assembly polls winning 92 seats, sidelining most of its rivals.
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