Shimla: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur retained key home and finance departments with him after the portfolios were allotted on Friday.

Besides home and finance, the chief minister will also look after the general administration, planning and personnel department and all other departments not allotted to any minister.

Mohinder Singh Thakur has been allocated irrigation and public health, horticulture and sainik welfare departments, while Kishan Kapoor will be in charge of food and civil supplies and consumer affairs and election departments.

First-time MLA Suresh Bharadwaj has been given education (elementary and higher), parliamentary affairs and law portfolios.

Anil Sharma, who quit the Congress to join the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls, has been allocated multipurpose projects and power and non-conventional energy sources departments.

The lone women minister, Sarveen Chaudhary, has been allocated urban development, town and country planning and ho-using departments, while Ram Lal Markanda will be in charge of agriculture, tribal development and information and technology departments.

Vipin Parmar has been given health and family welfare, medical education, ayurveda and science and technology, while Virender Kanwar will have rural development and panchayati raj, animal husbandry and fisheries departments.

Vikram Singh has been given industries, labour and employment, technical education and vocational and industrial training.