Senior AAP leader and Patiala Rural MLA Dr Balbir Singh was on Saturday sworn in as the new Punjab Cabinet minister, shortly after Fauja Singh Sarari tendered his resignation following a controversy over an audio clip.
Balbir (66) has been allotted the Department of Health and Family Welfare, earlier held by Chetan Singh Jouramajra, as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann rejigged portfolios of some ministers.
Earlier in the day, Sarari resigned from the cabinet, months after he was embroiled in the controversy over an audio clip in which he allegedly discussed ways to "trap" some contractors in order to "extort" money.
AAP's Punjab unit spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said Sarari has resigned from the cabinet, citing "personal reasons".
Sarari is the second minister to lose a ministerial berth in the over nine-month old Mann-led cabinet. Earlier, health minister Vijay Singla was sacked on corruption charges.
Meanwhile, the chief minister also shed portfolios of technical education and industrial training and hospitality.
Balbir was administered oath by Governor Banwarilal Purohit at Raj Bhavan in the presence of Mann.
Besides health portfolio, Balbir has been given medical education and research and elections.
Balbir, an eye surgeon, had defeated senior Congress leader Brahm Mohindra's son Mohit Mohindra from Patiala Rural seat in the assembly polls held last year.
In the reallocation of portfolios, Mann gave higher education and technical education and industrial training departments to Harjot Singh Bains. The higher education portfolio was earlier held by Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and technical education and industrial training was with Mann.
Hayer has been given water resources and mines and geology which were earlier with Bains.
Hayer also holds governance reforms, science and technology, environment, sports and youth services, while Bains has school education portfolio.
Mann took jails department from Bains and kept the portfolio with himself.
Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra, who earlier held the health portfolio, has been given the portfolios of freedom fighters, defence services welfare, food processing and horticulture, which were earlier held by Sarari.
Jouramajra had come under fire from the Opposition after he was seen allegedly forcing Dr Raj Bahadur, the then vice chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, to lie on a dirty mattress at a hospital.
Mann gave up the hospitality portfolio and allotted the same to minister Anmol Gagan Mann. Anmol currently holds tourism and culture affairs, investment promotion, labour and removal of grievances.
In July 2022, the Bhagwant Mann government had carried out its first cabinet expansion, inducting five party legislators, including Sarari. After that, the strength of the cabinet had reached 15, including the chief minister. The number will remain unchanged as Sarari's berth has been filled up by Balbir.
There are 18 berths in the cabinet, including the chief minister.
The purported audio clip of an alleged conversation between Sarari and his former close aide, discussing ways to "trap" some contractors involved in food grain transportation through some officials to "extort money" from them, had surfaced in September.