Portfolios allocated to two new ministers

: Ten days after inducting two Independent MLAs R Shankar and H Nagesh into the ministry, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Monday allocated portfolios forthem.

The chief minister also appointed S R Srinivas as Primary and Secondary Education Minister.

While Shankar has been given the portfolio of Municipalities and Local Bodies, Nagesh gets Small Scale Industries, an official gazette said.

S R Srinivas from JD(S), who was holding the Small Scale Industries portfolio, has been given the charge of Primary and Secondary Education, it said.

The Primary and Secondary Education Ministry was with the Chief Minister after lone BSP MLA N Mahesh quit from the cabinet in October last year and there was growing pressure on Kumaraswamy from within, especially from JD(S) state chiefA H Vishwanath to appoint a minister.

Kumaraswamy on June 14 had expanded his cabinet by inducting the two Independent MLAs in an apparent move to givestability to his 13-month old wobbly government.

The ...