Naveen Patnaik drops higher education minister Pujari from ministry

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday dropped higher education minister Rohit Pujari from the council of ministers, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.

Sources added that Patnaik recommended Governor Ganeshi Lal to exclude Pujari’s name from the ministry and assigned the department to food and supplies minister Atanu S Nayak.

Pujari was not immediately available for comment.

A lawmaker from Rairakhol assembly segment, Pujari was inducted in the ministry in June last year.

Sources said Patnaik reviewed the performances of all the departments from May 22 to June 2.

In the review, it was found that the performance of higher education department was at the bottom of the list.