Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is set to appoint chairpersons to various state-run corporations and boards by the end of July, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari said on Thursday.
Pujari said all routine formalities related to the appointments have been completed and the process is expected to be finalised before the month ends.
“The government has completed the necessary procedural work for the appointment of chairpersons to different state-run corporations and boards. The appointments will be completed by the end of this month,” he told reporters.
The announcement comes more than two years after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office in Odisha following the 2024 Assembly elections. The government has so far not appointed chairpersons to several state-run corporations and boards.
Responding to queries on a possible expansion of the state Cabinet, Pujari said the decision rests solely with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
He pointed out that the Constitution permits the strength of the Council of Ministers to be up to 15 per cent of the total membership of the Legislative Assembly. With the Odisha Assembly comprising 147 members, the Council of Ministers can have a maximum of around 21 members.
At present, the state has a 16-member Council of Ministers, leaving scope for the induction of at least five more ministers.
“The Chief Minister has the prerogative to decide on any expansion of the Council of Ministers,” Pujari said.
After the BJP formed its maiden government in Odisha in June 2024, Majhi constituted a 16-member ministry comprising himself, two Deputy Chief Ministers, eight Cabinet Ministers and six Ministers of State with independent charge.
Several ministers currently hold multiple portfolios, while the Chief Minister has retained key departments, including General Administration, Home, Finance, Water Resources, and Information and Public Relations.
