New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi was Tuesday named India's new railway minister, a post that had been lying vacant since Mamata Banerjee stepped down in May to take over as the West Bengal chief minister.


Trivedi, who was minister of state for health and family welfare, has now been elevated to cabinet rank and will be administered the oath of office and secrecy at 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to the website of the Prime Minister's Office.

Trivedi has been made railway minister even as another Trinamool MP, Mukul Roy, who was minister of state for railways, has been made the minister of state for shipping.