PANAJI
Ending months of speculation, Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar was on Saturday inducted into Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s cabinet, filling the vacancy created by the death of senior minister Ravi Naik more than a year ago.
Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai administered the oath of office and secrecy to Amonkar at Raj Bhavan in the presence of Sawant, Chief Secretary V Candavelou, ministers, MLAs, family members and supporters.
The portfolios to be allocated to the newly inducted minister are expected to be announced shortly.
Speaking after the swearing-in ceremony, Amonkar thanked the party leadership and the people of Goa for reposing faith in him. “I have been given sufficient time as a minister to serve not only my constituency but the entire State. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has envisioned a ‘Viksit Goa 2037’, and I have got an opportunity to contribute towards that vision,” he said.
Amonkar credited the BJP government with accelerating infrastructure development across the State and said he would strive to push development projects during his tenure. “Whatever responsibility the party entrusted me with in the past, I have fulfilled. It is on the strength of that work that I have been given this opportunity,” he said.
The Mormugao MLA added that he was ready to handle any department assigned to him by the Chief Minister.
“Which portfolio I get is secondary. Our primary objective is to work for the people,” Amonkar said.
Congratulating the new minister, Sawant said Amonkar was capable of serving both his constituency and the people of Goa effectively.
