Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first Union cabinet meeting of his second term on Friday. The first file signed by PM Modi on assuming charge in his second term as PM was to enhance the amount of scholarships under the National Defence Fund and to include State Police Personnel in its ambit. Earlier in the day, the portfolios of the council of ministers in the second term was declared. Amit Shah, who has been widely credited for the spectacular victory of the BJP in the national elections, will be the Home Minister in the new government. Mr Shah succeeds Rajnath Singh, who has been given charge of Defence ministry.
Nirmala Sitharaman will succeed Arun Jaitley as the Finance Minister in the new government. Smriti Irani, who was hailed as the giant killer after she defeated Congress President Rahul Gandhi in his family bastion of Amethi, has been given charge of Women and Child Development ministry.
Career diplomat S Jaishankar, a surprise pick in Narendra Modi's council of ministers, has been made the Foreign Minister.
PM Modi took oath for a second term in the presence of 8,000 guests including world leaders, dignitaries, politicians, celebrities and industrialists on Thursday, exactly a week after he led the BJP to a spectacular victory in the national election. Over 50 ministers joined him in the swearing-in held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
