A number of key portfolios - including Health, Law, Information and Technology and Railways - have gone to new ministers and junior ministers who got a promotion in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers that underwent a reboot today.
The number of cabinet ministers has been boosted from 21 to 30 in the current reshuffle. The number of junior ministers has gone up too, from 23 to 45. There are fewer junior ministers with Independent Charge - the figure has dropped from nine to two.
Thirty-six new ministers joined the government and four high-profile ministers quit today in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mega cabinet reboot to offset criticism as the country emerges from a fierce second wave of Covid ahead of key elections.
PM Modi now has 77 ministers, nearly half of them new. Anurag Thakur and Hardeep Puri are among 15 new cabinet ministers.
Sarbananda Sonowal, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Narayan Rane, Bhupender Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw were also sworn in as cabinet ministers.
But the exits of IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar stood out on a day resignations made bigger news than new ministers.
This is PM Modi's first major overhaul of the Union Cabinet since he took office for a second term in 2019.
Here are the Highlights on PM Modi's Cabinet Reshuffle:
Smriti Zubin Irani continues to head the Women and Child Development Ministry in the refreshed Union Cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Textiles Ministry, which she also headed, has gone to former Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
Ms Irani was Human Resource Development Minister from May 2014 to July 2016 and Minister for Information and Broadcasting from July 2017 to May 2018. She is India's first woman to hold office as Union Minister for Human Resource Development and as Union Minister of Textiles.
She took charge as Women and Child Development Minister in June 2019.
Home Minister Amit Shah greeted all Union ministers who were sworn in Wednesday and expressed hope they will do their best in taking the welfare policies of the Modi government to the people with full devotion and dedication to realise the resolve of a self-reliant India, reported news agency PTI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi effected a reshuffle in his Council of Ministers - the first since he assumed charge for a second term in May 2019.
"Congratulations to all the colleagues who took oath as the minister. I am sure that the entire cabinet under the leadership of @narendramodi ji will make its best contribution in taking the welfare policies of the government to the people with full devotion and dedication and in realising the resolve of self-reliant India," Amit Shah tweeted in Hindi.
Four doctors - Heena Gavit, Mahendra Munjapara, Bharati Pawar and Bhagwat Karad - former broadcast engineer Devusinh Chauhan and former Thane District Co-operative Bank chairman Kapil Patil are among those inducted into the Union Council of Ministers Wednesday.
In today's reboot, the number of Cabinet Ministers has been increased from 21 to 30, and Ministers of State from 23 to 45. However, the number of Ministers of State (Independent Charge) has been cut to two from nine earlier.
Thirty-six new ministers joined the government in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mega cabinet reboot today. Fifteen of the 44 ministers who took oath today will be part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, a communique from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
Rajya Sabha MP Dharmendra Pradhan, who has been handling the petroleum ministry till now in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second term, will now handle the education portfolio, following today's cabinet reshuffle. Piyush Goyal, who, too, is a member of the upper house, will henceforth handle the textile ministry.
Anurag Thakur, the BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur who was sworn-in today as a cabinet minister, has been entrusted with two important portfolios - Information and Broadcasting, and Sports.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, who crossed over to the BJP in March 2020, leading to the collapse of the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, has been appointed the Civil Aviation Minister, and Hardeep Puri, who used to head this ministry, will head the Urban Development and Petroleum Ministry.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha Ashwini Vaishnaw will be the new Railways Minister and head the Information and Technology Ministry as well, the government announced on Wednesday.
"A former IAS Officer of the 1994 batch, he handled important responsibilities over 15 years and was particularly known for his contribution to the PPP framework in Infrastructure," the government said in a note.
"Post that, he has held leadership roles across major global companies such as General Electric and Siemens," it said.
"He has a MBA from Wharton School, Pennsylvania University and MTech from IIT Kanpur," it added.
Mansukh Mandaviya, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat who was Minister of State (Independent Charge), is the new Health Minister of India, the government said today.
The announcement came soon after 43 ministers took oath in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's revamped cabinet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated 43 of his colleagues who took oath today in the refreshed Union cabinet. Thirty-six new ministers joined the government and seven got promoted.
Bureaucrat, politician and now a Union Minister, Ram Chandra Prasad Singh's meteoric rise began when he grabbed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's attention.
Meetings of Cabinet and Council of Ministers to be held tomorrow at 5 pm and 7 pm respectively, reported news agency ANI citing sources.

Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, who was sworn in as Union Minister of State today, belongs to an erstwhile royal clan of Manipur and has worked for unity among the various tribes in his state.
A popular face of the BJP and a good orator, Meenakshi Lekhi has for long articulated and advocated the party's policies and programmes while taking on her political opponents before she found a place in the Union Council of Ministers.
54-year-old Meenakshi Lekhi, who took oath as a Union Minister of State on her second term as the MP from the New Delhi constituency, has been at the forefront of struggles on a host of issues ranging from those pertaining to women and the environment to law and development, reported news agency PTI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet got a facelift today amid efforts to reinvigorate the administration that has been heavily criticised for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, soaring prices of essentials among a range of issues.
Having spent over three decades in public life, Kaushal Kishore today was sworn in as a Union minister in the Narendra Modi government.
Sworn in as a Union minister today evening, 60-year-old Ajay Kumar Mishra is a first-time BJP MP, representing the Kheri Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, reported news agency PTI. He was elected as an MLA in 2012 from the Nighasan Assembly seat.
The newly inducted ministers have been directed to remain in Delhi till August 15 and have been asked to do all ministerial work from the Parliament when the monsoon session is underway, sources told NDTV. The ministers have also been asked to schedule meetings with other members of the Parliament, they added.
The ministers have been directed to remain present at the time of their roster duty in the Parliament, the sources further said.
15 Ministers inducted into the Union Cabinet including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sarbananda Sonowal, Anurag Thakur, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Puri. pic.twitter.com/rO6WK02Vh2
- ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2021
28 Ministers inducted as Ministers of State including Meenakshi Lekhi, Pankaj Choudhary, Anupriya Patel, Shobha Karandlaje #CabinetExpansion2021 pic.twitter.com/JRcm09roY4
- ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2021
Congratulations and best wishes to @rajeev_mp, @ShobhaBJP, @ANarayana_swamy and @bhagwantkhuba on being inducted into the Union Council of Ministers from Karnataka.
- B.S. Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) July 7, 2021
Let us work to further state progress across all sectors under the leadership of PM @narendramodi Ji.
"The economy of the country is in shambles... what we require is the resignation of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman)": Charan Singh Sapra (@Charanssapra), spokesperson, Congress#CabinetReshuffle pic.twitter.com/Ty181TQgMH
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
#CabinetReshuffle | Celebrations at BJP leader Anurag Thakur's residence after he was promoted to Cabinet rank pic.twitter.com/dOiFP4gg5K
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
"Unable to feel happy that Tamil Nadu has got a Union Minister. The country has suffered a setback in all fields. Cabinet reshuffle should have been done to recover from this fall.
But this is being done having in mind the leaders, those who came from other parties, upcoming state elections. May be beneficial for the BJP. What's for the country?" Kamal Haasan said.
#CabinetReshuffle | Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp), BJP's organisational man, is now in Prime Minister Modi's Union Council of Ministers. pic.twitter.com/E8szOAeHnE
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
#CabinetReshuffle | Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) gets a promotion, now a Cabinet Minister. pic.twitter.com/sFxtZ2AMBR
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
#CabinetReshuffle | Anupriya Patel (@AnupriyaSPatel), a key ally for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, makes a comeback into the Union Council of Ministers. pic.twitter.com/Jk1bTNv2GM
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
#CabinetExpansion2021 | Bhagwanth Khuba, Kapil Moreshwar Patil and Pratima Bhoumik take oath as ministers
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
(ANI) pic.twitter.com/kgxmZlB3Wq
#CabinetExpansion2021 | Subhas Sarkar, Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, take oath as ministers (ANI) pic.twitter.com/mQr5f1Wa2A
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
A moment of immense pride for #Tripura that @PratimaBhoumik ji, a foremost representative of #NariShakti of the state, has joined PM Shri @narendramodi led Union Council of Ministers.
- Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) July 7, 2021
I extend my heartiest wishes and pray to Ma Tripursundari for her success as a Union Minister. pic.twitter.com/zeXsdDLkT1
Meghalaya and the whole of North East is elated with the induction of Sh. @KirenRijiju Ji and Sh. @sarbanandsonwal into the Union Cabinet today. The #CabinetReshuffle proves inclusivity and diversity which is the essence of a New India. Congratulations brothers! pic.twitter.com/iCCRO6BX4b
- Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) July 7, 2021
#CabinetReshuffle | Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) promoted to Cabinet rank pic.twitter.com/zv8VJw8LfP
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
Ravi Shankar Prasad changes his Twitter bio to Member of Parliament from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha, Bihar. BJP worker after resigning ahead of the big cabinet reshuffle.
#CabinetReshuffle | Jyotiraditya Scindia (@JM_Scindia) is back in the Union Cabinet after 7 years. pic.twitter.com/8oQ8NymgqM
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
#CabinetReshuffle | Hajipur MP Pashu Pati Kumar Paras, brother of the late Ram Vilas Paswan, is now a Cabinet Minister. pic.twitter.com/oTQZhAUGbm
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
#CabinetReshuffle | Former Assam Chief Minister @sarbanandsonwal sworn-in as Cabinet Minister pic.twitter.com/nmzB0vRLuR
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
#CabinetReshuffle | Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane is now a part of the Modi Cabinet.
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 7, 2021
Read more: https://t.co/2O0tdFIYZ7 pic.twitter.com/TWnMjLdoDc