Bihar's portfolio allocation: CM Nitish Kumar to oversee civil aviation, Sunil Kumar gets higher education

Patna (The Uttam Hindu): A month after the formation of the new government in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has taken a major decision to further streamline administrative operations. The Chief Minister has formally divided three new departments recently created by the Cabinet. Ministers have been assigned new responsibilities keeping in mind the government's priorities, particularly education, employment, and infrastructure. With the notification issued on Friday, it has become clear which minister will now hold which new charge.

According to an order issued by the Cabinet Secretariat, the state's Education Minister, Sunil Kumar, has been elevated to the position of Minister of Higher Education. He has now been appointed to the newly formed Higher Education Department. Previously, he was solely responsible for school education, but now, decisions related to universities, colleges, and technical educational institutions will also be under his jurisdiction, which is expected to expedite decision-making within the Education Department. Meanwhile, the "Youth Employment-Skill Development Department," which the government established to connect youth with employment, has been reassigned to Labor Resources Minister Sanjay Singh Tiger. Now, the integration of the Labor Department and Skill Development will facilitate the implementation of employment generation schemes.

Additionally, some changes have been made to the structure of departments. Minister Arun Shankar Prasad, who was handling the Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Youth departments, has had his responsibilities changed. The government has separated the Youth Department from Arts and Culture and merged it with Employment and Skill Development, so that youth-related policies can be directly linked to careers. Meanwhile, Fisheries and Animal Resources Minister Surendra Mehta has now been given additional charge of the newly created Dairy Department. It is believed that this will facilitate better implementation of schemes in the fields of animal husbandry and milk production.

The most significant decision in this entire division has been made by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar himself. He has retained responsibility for the newly created Civil Aviation Department, which was created to improve air connectivity in the state. This clearly indicates that the Chief Minister wants to directly oversee projects such as the construction of new airports and the expansion of air services in Bihar.