Cabinet will be small,mix of old and new faces: Akhilesh

There will be scope for cabinet expansion and it will be done very soon, Akhilesh said

A day before his swearing-in,Chief Minister-designate Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said he would take oath with a small cabinet which would be a mix of new and experienced faces. He also said only responsible and honest officers would be picked for his secretariat.

Akhilesh is set to be sworn in at a grand ceremony at 11:30 am on Thursday. It is really hard when you have to select a team from a large pool. Besides,my effort is to keep the cabinet small, said Akhilesh during a felicitation function organised by party workers and traders at the Samajwadi Party office today. There will be scope for cabinet expansion and it will be done very soon, he added.

However,he refused to reveal names. Have patience and everything will be clear on Thursday, he said. My effort has been to keep it small but have representation from all sections.

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On the lathicharge on youths at employment exchanges,Akhilesh said: I am really surprised at the extent of unemployment in our state. Nobody tried to conduct a survey. There are no figures available with the department. Now things are clear and we will fulfill our promise of giving them unemployment allowance.

On the financial burden this would entail,he said when funds could be arranged for memorials and parks,it could be arranged for unemployment allowance also.