March 10, 2018 TnH Global

Suresh Prabhu assigned additional Charge of Civil Aviation Ministry

Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu has been assigned additional charge of Civil Aviation Ministry vacated by Telugu Desam Party’s Ashok Gajapathi Raju last week to protest the centre’s refusal to give Andhra Pradesh “special status”.

President Ram Nath Kovind’s office tweeted the change in portfolio on Saturday afternoon. PM Narendra Modi had not named anyone to take Ashok Gajapathi Raju’s place in the cabinet when he accepted the TDP minister’s resignation earlier this week.

Suresh Prabhu had been shifted to the Commerce Ministry from the Railway Ministry in September 2017 after he took “full moral responsibility” for a string of rail accidents that happened under his charge. But before he made the offer, the government also told the Railway Board chairman AK Mittal to put in his papers and brought in Ashwini Lohani, the railway service officer who had risen to become Air India chief.