India Overhauls Cabinet with Major Changes Including Health Minister
![Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India <br>[Photo by Yonhap News]](http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/img_view.htm?img=2021070814350225881_1625722502.jpg)
[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The Indian government led by Narendra Modi, which was embroiled in controversy over its failure in COVID-19 prevention measures, has significantly reshuffled its cabinet, including the Minister of Health.
According to the Times of India on the 8th, 12 ministers resigned the night before ahead of the cabinet reshuffle, and Prime Minister Modi appointed some of their successors.
The number of cabinet meeting attendees, including Ministers of State (officially called Ministers of State with Independent Charge), will increase from 52 to 77. Among them, the number of cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Modi (who also holds the portfolio of Minister of Atomic Energy), is about 20.
This cabinet reshuffle is considered the largest since the Modi government took office in 2014.
The most notable change is the replacement of the Minister of Health. Harsh Vardhan, the former Minister of Health, was criticized for failing to respond quickly to the spread of variant viruses and for not actively enforcing prevention regulations.
The new Minister of Health is Mansukh Laxman Mandaviya, a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat. Ministers of Information Technology (IT), Law, and Petroleum and Natural Gas were also replaced.
Local media analyzed that this cabinet reshuffle is a strategic move to quell criticism related to COVID-19 prevention and to prepare for next year's local elections to be held in seven states. This is because a significant number of the newly appointed ministers and ministers of state come from the election regions.
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Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 situation, which surged to over 410,000 daily new cases in May, has recently calmed significantly. The recent daily new cases have decreased to the 30,000 to 40,000 range, and the daily new deaths, which had exceeded 4,000, have fallen below 1,000.
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