Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar officially allocated portfolios to 28 ministers on Sunday, June 9, 2024, following a significant expansion of the state cabinet. The Chief Minister retained several key departments, including Home, General Administration, Cabinet Secretariat, Vigilance, and Election, alongside other portfolios not specifically assigned to other ministers. This allocation formalizes the governmental structure in the state.

The distribution of responsibilities saw Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary being assigned multiple important ministries. Choudhary will now oversee Finance, Commercial Taxes, Urban Development & Housing, Sports, Panchayati Raj, and Industry. The other Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Kumar Sinha, received portfolios including Road Construction, Mines & Geology, Art, Culture & Youth, and the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).

Other notable allocations include:

  • Mangal Pandey: Appointed to Health, Agriculture, and Law.
  • Vijay Kumar Chaudhary: Assigned Water Resources, Parliamentary Affairs, and Minorities Welfare.
  • Bijendra Prasad Yadav: Tasked with Energy, Planning & Development, and Excise.
  • Prem Kumar: Designated for Cooperation, Backward & Most Backward Class Welfare.
  • Shravan Kumar: Received Rural Development and Social Welfare.
  • Santosh Kumar Suman: Allocated Information Technology and Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Welfare.

The portfolio allocation completes the full operational structure for the 28 ministers, which includes the Chief Minister and his two deputies. This follows the induction of 21 new ministers into the cabinet on March 15, 2024, bringing the total strength of the state cabinet to its current composition. The expansion and subsequent portfolio distribution aim to streamline administrative functions and consolidate governance efforts across various sectors in Bihar.

The completion of this cabinet formation establishes the framework for the state government's operations moving forward. The newly assigned ministers are expected to commence work on policy implementation and development initiatives under their respective departments, reflecting the current political alignment and distribution of responsibilities within the ruling coalition in Bihar.