Plum portfolios assigned to many first-time ministers in Modi government

The Modi government on Friday assigned plum portfolios to many of the first-time ministers in a sign that the newly-elected regime wants to use fresh thinking when it comes to important policy decisions.

First time ministers such as S Jaishankar, Amit Shah and Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' have been assigned the important ministries of External Affairs, Home and Human Resource Development, respectively, according to a government press release issued on Friday.

Another first-timer Anurag Thakur, 44, one of the youngest in the Modi government, has been given the plum post of Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs.

Similarly, 53-year old Nityanand Rai -- who is Bihar BJP President with no experience in the central government -- was made Minister of State for Home on Friday.

Rai would be junior minister in the Home Ministry under BJP chief Amit Shah, who is also taking a ministerial position in the central government for the first time.

G Kishan Reddy -- who won the Lok Sabha ...