Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) has expanded his 12-member cabinet to 18 by inducting six more ministers, including his son K T Rama Rao and nephew T Harish Rao.
The new induction comes six months after KCR’s earlier expansion of the Cabinet from two to 12 ministers on February 19.
KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao have served as Ministers in the first Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS)-led government in the state between 2014 and 2018.
Harish Rao, who had handled the irrigation portfolio during the previous TRS regime, was made the Finance Minister, while Rama Rao, who was handling Municipal Administration and Urban Development, IT and Communication, Industries departments earlier, was again allotted the same.
This Cabinet expansion also marks the first-ever entry of two women ministers in the KCR government. Of the two women ministers, Sabita Indra Reddy, who had recently joined the ruling TRS, served as Home Minister in the previous Y S Rajasekhar Reddy – led Congress government in undivided Andhra Pradesh. The second minister, Satyavati Rathod, was first elected as MLA on Telugu Desam Party ticket in 2009.
The other two ministers are four-time MLA Gangula Kamalakar from Karimnagar and Puvvada Ajay Kumar, a first-time MLA from Khammam. Kamalakar had joined the TRS in 2013 while Ajay Kumar joined the ruling party in 2016.
While Sabitha Indra Reddy was allotted Education, Satyavathi Rathod was entrusted with ST Welfare, Women and Child Welfare, Gangula Kamalakar was given BC Welfare, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs and Ajay Kumar got Transport.
Tamilsai Soundararajan, who recently took over as the Governor of Telangana, administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at a ceremony held in Raj Bhavan.
KT Rama Rao has graced several events of Elets Technomedia. Listen to his addresses below.