Three ministers of Orissa have been de facto dismissed. They are Damodar Raut, Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha and Pravin Chandra Bhanja Deo. On demand by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, they have tendered resignation.
Raut was the minister in charge of Agriculture, Cooperation as well as Fisheries and Animal Resources Development. This is the third time, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has thwarted him out of his cabinet.
Bariha was Minister in charge of ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare.
Bhanja Deo was Minister (State) in independent charge of Sports & Youth Services and in subordinate charge of Revenue & Disaster Management.
The newly taken in Ministers are Lal Bihari Himirika, Pradeep Maharathy, Maheswar Mohanty, Usha Devi and Niranjan Pujari.
Himirika was Deputy Speaker of Orissa Legislative Assembly, which he resigned to join the Cabinet.
Ms. Anjali Behera, a Minister of State, is elevated to Cabinet rank in the reshuffle.