Paswan takes charge as Food, Consumer Affairs Minister; says ready with 100 days plan

New Delhi: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan Friday took charge as the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry for the second term in the Modi 2.0 government, saying his ministry is all ready with 100 days plan for implementation.

Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs Danve Dadarao Raosaheb, BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh, also assumed his office along with Paswan here.

Creation of buffer stock of 16 lakh tonnes of pulses and 50,000 tonnes of onion, exempting stock holding limits on contract farmers, finalising e-commerce guidelines, upgradation of consumer courts and BIS labs are some of the targets set for implementation in the next 100 days. The ministry has also identified filling up of five vacancies for economically weaker section in the consumer affairs department. Showering praise on Modi for winning a second term with a huge mandate, the LJP chief said, "Under his leadership, India will be a powerful nation in the world." Paswan (72 year), the president of LJP which is a key NDA ally in Bihar, was re-inducted in the Narendra Modi's council of ministers on Thursday. "I feel proud our prime minister is the best PM in the world. The nation is proud of Narendra Modiji. There is no competitor to Modi and he will be the number one leader in the world by end of five years of the government," he added.

Paswan also mentioned that there was no vacancy for the PM post in 2019 and opposition parties (referring to Congress) can try for the post of Leader of Opposition leader in 2024.