Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey takes charge as Cabinet Minister;RK Singh as Minister of state

NEW DELHI: Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey took over as the Cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship here today.nnR. K. Singh, Minister of state in the ministry, was also present on the occasion. Former Minister of Skill development and entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan, who was also present there, congratulated Dr Pandey on taking up the new assignment.nnSpeaking on the occasion, Dr Pandey said Hon?ble prime Minister carved out the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, so that youth of our country are in a better position to compete, within and outside the country.nnHe said that this Ministry has been very helpful to the youth in honing their skills and harnessing their talents.nnDr Pandey said that he along with the Minister of state and other officials will work hard to give better results. During the last NDA Government, a lot of good work has been accomplished, nationwide system has been developed, and efforts will be made to make it more organised to have better results. Under the leadership of prime Minister, we will succeed in skill development.nnOn the issue of entrepreneurship, Dr Pandey said that for continuity of employment, entrepreneurship is very important.nnHe said that youth will be better skilled, and efforts will be made to provide them opportunities which are sustainable and regular in nature. The Minister said that employment is going to be his top agenda.nnDr Mahendra Nath Pandey is a Lok Sabha MP from Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh. Born on 15th October, Dr Pandey has done MA, Master of journalism and Ph.D from BHU, Varanasi.nnHe has been in active politics for over three decades. Dr Pandey was first elected member of UP legislative assembly in 1991.nnHe handled several ministries in Uttar Pradesh over a period of time. Dr Pandey was Minister of state in the Ministry of Human resource Development from July 2016 to September 2017.nnSingh is currently a Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, Bihar. In 2014, he was elected as Lok Sabha MP from the same seat.nnHe has served as the Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy since September, 2017, and again he has been given the charge of the same ministry.nnPrior to joining electoral politics, Singh has been an IAS officer with an impressive career record spanning nearly four decades.nnAs a civil servant, he has held many important positions including those of Secretary, Department of Defence Production and Secretary, Home Affairs. Shri Singh was born on 20 Dec 1952 at Supaul (Bihar).nnHe holds several degrees including B.A. (Hons.)in English Literature, LL.B. and Diploma in Management.