7 Gujarat ministers face criminal cases; 19 are crorepatis: ADR report

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel along with his state ministerial cabinet during the swearing-in ceremony in Gandhinagar. Pic/PTI

The Gujarat Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Friday published a report on the members of the newly-formed Gujarat Cabinet.

The report came a day after newly-appointed Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel allocated portfolios to 24 newly-inducted ministers.

As per the report, seven ministers (28 per cent) face criminal cases, of which three have serious criminal charges levelled against them.

After the swearing-in ceremony of the new Gujarat Cabinet on Thursday, the Gujarat Election Watch and the ADR analysed the affidavits of all the 25 ministers, including the CM, and published the report, which showed that 19 of the new ministers as crorepatis (millionaires).

According to the report, the average assets of the 25 ministers are estimated to be Rs 3.95 crore.

The minister with the highest declared assets is Hrishikesh Ganeshbhai Patel from the Visnagar constituency with assets worth Rs 14.95 crore. He is followed by Jagdish Panchal Nikol from the Ahmedabad constituency with Rs 14.75 crore assets, while Kuber Dindor from the Santrampur constituency has asstes worth Rs 10.94 crore. Unlike the first two who studied till Class 12, Dindor has a doctorate degree.

Also read: Gujarat: 24 ministers sworn in; not a single induction from Rupani-led ministry

The minister with the lowest declared assets is Chauhan Arjunsinh Udesinh from the Mehmedabad constituency with assets worth Rs 12.57 lakh.

On the education front, there is a mixed bag of ministers in the new Cabinet. A total of 13 (52 per cent) ministers have declared their educational qualification to be between Class 8 and Class 12, while 11 (44 per cent) are graduates or have higher degrees. One minister has declared his education qualification as 'just' literate'.

The BJP top brass has expressed faith in the junior MLAs led by Bhupendra Patel, with more than half under 51 years of age. A total of 13 (52 per cent) ministers have declared their age to be between 31 and 50 years, while the remaining 12 (48 per cent) have declared their age to be between 51 and 70 years.

As many as 18 ministers in the Cabinet have declared liabilities out of which the minister with the highest liabilities is Jagdish Panchal at Rs 3.13 crore.

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