S Jaishankar Assumes Role as Foreign Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw Also Takes Office

At 73, PM Modi will lead a coalition government for the first time in his third term, dubbed Modi 3.0, since his landslide "Brand Modi" victory in 2014.

New Delhi: Newly appointed Union Ministers S Jaishankar and Ashwini Vaishnaw officially took office today, following the recent grand ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan in Delhi. This event saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with 71 ministers of the new coalition government, taking their oaths of office.

In Prime Minister Modi's cabinet, the key figures remain unchanged in the four major ministries: Amit Shah continues as the Home Minister, Rajnath Singh retains the Defence Ministry, S Jaishankar remains the Minister of External Affairs, and Nirmala Sitharaman continues to lead the Finance Ministry.

"Assumed charge as the Minister of External Affairs. Thank PM @narendramodi for assigning me this responsibility," Jaishankar shared on X, formerly Twitter, as he began his second consecutive term in the role. Ashwini Vaishnaw has also retained his position as Railways Minister and has been given additional responsibilities as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. In the previous term, Anurag Thakur held the I&B Minister role.

Additionally, Vaishnaw continues to oversee the Ministry of Information and Technology. Upon assuming his duties, he expressed gratitude to PM Modi, noting the Prime Minister's deep connection with the Railways. In the last 10 years, PM Narendra Modi has done a lot of reforms in Railways," Vaishnaw stated to reporters at his office.

The Council of Ministers includes 30 Cabinet Ministers, five Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and 36 Ministers of State. Among the 72-member council are seven women, including two with cabinet rank, which is four fewer than in the previous council.

The new cabinet provides significant representation to states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with Bihar gaining four cabinet positions and Uttar Pradesh securing nine ministerial roles. Additionally, 42 ministers hail from Other Backward Class (OBC), Scheduled Caste (SC), and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. Notably, there is no Muslim representation in this new cabinet.

At 73, PM Modi will lead a coalition government in his third term, known as Modi 3.0, marking the first time he has done so since becoming Prime Minister in 2014 after a decade of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule. He is the second Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to be elected for three consecutive terms.