Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Bhupender Yadav on Thursday assumed charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

Earlier, the minister took charge of the Labour Ministry.

"I am grateful to the prime minister. I have already taken charge as labour minister. Now I take charge as environment minister. I will put my best foot forward to fulfil the responsibility given to me by the PM and the confidence he has shown in me. I will meet all officials and will begin my work, Yadav said.

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Mansukh Mandaviya took charge as the country's new health minister on Thursday.

Mandaviya, a BJP leader from Gujarat's Saurashtra region, replaces Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was dropped from the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

His portfolio assumes utmost significance as the country is in battling a coronavirus pandemic.

Mandaviya will also lead the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Kiren Rijiju on Thursday took charge as the new minister of Law and Justice.

A prominent face from the northeast in the Modi government, Rijiju was on Wednesday elevated as a Cabinet minister in a major reshuffle and expansion of the Union Council of Ministers.

Rijiju takes over the key ministry from Ravi Shankar Prasad, who has resigned from the government.

The Law Ministry is responsible to defend the government in various courts through its law officers and help ministries draft bills and key documents.

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) John Barla, the BJP's Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal's Alipurduar, took charge as the Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs on Thursday.

He was welcomed by Union Minority Affairs Minister (Cabinet rank), Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, at the Antyodaya Bhawan, CGO Complex, here.

New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) Ahead of a major cabinet reshuffle, Union Minister of State for Environment Babul Supriyo resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

Supriyo confirmed his resignation through a post on social media, "I have been asked to resign and I have."

"I thank Prime Minister for giving me the privilege to serve my country as a Member of his Council of Ministers, he posted on his Facebook account.

New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, whose handling of the COVID-19 crisis drew flak from critics, resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on Wednesday, official sources said.

The resignation came hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi carries out a major expansion and reshuffle of his Council of Ministers in which 43 new members are expected to take oath.

New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) Leaders of 10 opposition parties including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi Tuesday wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind expressing "outrage" at the death of Father Stan Swamy "under custody", and seeking his intervention in holding accountable those responsible for "foisting false cases" on the activist, his continued detention and "inhuman treatment".

The signatories also include NCP chief Sharad Pawar, former prime minister and JDS leader H D Deve Gowda and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah.

New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence here amid efforts by the party leadership to end factionalism in the party unit in the poll-bound state, sources said.

The meeting comes amid continued attack by former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on the chief minister.

Singh and Sidhu have been at loggerheads over various issues.

New Delhi, July 5 (PTI) The Supreme Court Monday said it is amazing and shocking that people are still being booked under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act that was scrapped by the apex court verdict in 2015.

Under the scrapped section a person posting offensive messages could be imprisoned for up to three years and also fined.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman, K M Joseph and B R Gavai issued notice to the Centre on an application filed by an NGO, 'People's Union for Civil Liberties' (PUCL).

New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed pleas seeking permission to conduct 'rath yatras' at various places other than Jagannath Puri in Odisha.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said that it would not interfere with the directions passed by the state government under the Disaster Management Act.

We are sorry. We also feel bad, the bench said.

The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri is an annual ritual and this time, it is scheduled for July 12.