The newly appointed seven state ministers of the government got portfolios this evening, who have taken the oath of office at Ganabhaban.

A gazette notification, signed by Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, was issued in this regard tonight.

"In accordance with Rule 3(IV) of Rules of Business 1996, the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh distributed the following charges of ministries to the state ministers," said the notification.

Naogaon-2 Constituency MP Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker has been the charge of State Minister for Planning, Rajshahi-2 MP Md Abdul Wadud of State Minister for Rural Development & Cooperative Division, Chattogram-14 MP Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury of State Minister for Labour and Employment, Reserved women's seat MP Rokeya Sultana of State Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Begum Shamsunnahar of State Minister for Education, Begum Waseqa Ayesha Khan of State Minister for Finance and Begum Nahid Izhar Khan of State Minister for Cultural Affairs.

The order will come into effect immediately, read the notification.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office and oath of secrecy to the new state ministers at 7.30pm.

They also signed the oath of office and oath of secrecy after the swearing-in ceremony.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the Cultural Affairs Ministry and the Labour and Employment Ministry under her charge but now she has distributed them to the ministers, according to the notification.

Now, she holds the responsibilities of the Cabinet Division, Defence Ministry, the Armed Forces Division and the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

With the new ones, the cabinet now consists of 25 full ministers and 18 state ministers.