A day after inducting five ministers into his cabinet, Madhya Pradesh (MP) Chief Minister (CM) Shivraj Singh Chouhan distributed various portfolios among them on Wednesday (22 April), The Economic Times reported.

CM Chouhan’s close aide and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narottam Mishra has been handed the important departments of Home affairs, and Health and Family Welfare amid the ongoing battle against COVID-19 Pandemic.

Among the five ministers that were sworn in yesterday, two were from the Jyotiradiitya Scindia camp, who joined the party recently after ending his ties with the Congress. While Tulsi Silawat will be the new Water Resources Minister of the state, Govind Singh Rajput was allotted Cooperatives, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Welfare Ministry.

The CM announced about portfolio allocation via a video release.

BJP leader Kamal Singh will handle the Agriculture and Farmer Welfare portfolio, whereas lone woman cabinet member Meena Singh will look after Tribal Welfare Ministry.

While informing that the distribution could be temporary, CM Chouhan said, “The current allocation of departments was made as per the requirement arising due to COVID-19 situation and the need to bring the situation under control.”

The cabinet will further be expanded and portfolios will be reshuffled once the lockdown is lifted, he added.

After running the government as the single minster for almost a month, CM Chouhan undertook the first expansion of his cabinet on Tuesday. He had taken over the state government on 23 March after toppling former CM Kamal Nath’s Congress government.

As of Wednesday evening, MP has reported 1,587 coronavirus positive cases including 80 casualties.