India's Modi introduces 19 new ministers into cabinet

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday introduced 19 new ministers into his cabinet, sparking criticism by his political opponents.

The ministers were sworn in during a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Presidential Palace in New Delhi.

With the expansion, the size of Modi's cabinet has increased to nearly 80 ministers, one of the largest in years.

This was the second time the Indian premier reshuffled the cabinet since taking power in 2014.

A number of new ministers come from Uttar Pradesh state, where an election will be held early next year. The most populous state is viewed as a crucial test for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its re-election bid in general polls that are expected to be held by 2019.

Modi has said that the reshuffle would strengthen his cabinet's ability to deliver on promises made in the 2016 budget.

Critics of the cabinet reshuffle argue that Modi is backtracking on the promise of a lean government. They say the induction of new ministers is a far cry from Modi's 2014 election promise of "minimum government and maximum governance."

"If this was a reform-minded government, you would be reducing the numbers of people and portfolios, shedding ministries," Reuters quoted Manoj Joshi, a political expert at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

"What you can read from this is that it is not particularly efficient or concerned about governance."

SS