Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anurag Singh Thakur was on Wednesday sworn in as a Cabinet minister and been given the charge of Information and Broadcasting Ministry as well as the portfolio of the Youth Affairs and Sports ministry.
The 46-year-old MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh was among the 15 new Cabinet ministers who took oath in the first major rejig and expansion of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government after it returned to power for a second term in May 2019.
The development comes just a fortnight before the Tokyo Olympics begins on July 23. Thakur has been made the Union minister for youth affairs and sports replacing Kiran Rijiju who has been elevated to Union minister of law and justice.
Thakur was inducted into the Modi government in 2019 and was given the portfolios of the minister of state for finance and corporate affairs.
The development also comes ahead of next year's assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.
Thakur was first elected to Lok Sabha in May 2008 in a by-poll as a candidate of BJP. Thakur was also elected to 14th, 15th and 16th Lok Sabha.
Thakur along with six Ministers of Statehave been promoted as Union Cabinet Ministers on Wednesday. These include G Kishan Reddy, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Singh Puri, Raj Kumar Singh, Parshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya.
