Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, allocated portfolios to the expanded state Cabinet, assigning ministers charge of key departments ahead of the upcoming legislative session.

Shivakumar has retained several crucial portfolios, including Finance, Cabinet Affairs and Intelligence, while also continuing to oversee the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Information, Law, Justice and Human Rights.

The Chief Minister will also handle Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, Agriculture Marketing and the Commissionerate of Town and Country Planning.

The portfolio distribution covers 23 ministers and spans major sectors including education, irrigation, agriculture, welfare, health, industries, housing, urban administration and planning.

Shivakumar retains Finance and key departments

Shivakumar will continue to oversee the Finance Department along with a wide range of important administrative responsibilities.

His portfolio includes Cabinet Affairs, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Intelligence, Information, Law, Justice and Human Rights, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, Agriculture Marketing and the Commissionerate of Town and Country Planning.

Zameer Ahmed Khan gets Housing

BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan has been assigned the Housing portfolio. The department oversees housing-related programmes and policies across Karnataka.

Education and irrigation portfolios

Education and irrigation, two key sectors in the state, have been divided among several ministers.

  • Madhu Bangarappa: Primary and Secondary Education
  • Basavaraj Raya Reddy: Higher Education
  • N Cheluvarayaswamy: Major and Medium Irrigation
  • Dr Ajay Singh: Minor Irrigation and Science and Technology

Welfare and social justice departments

Several ministers have been given charge of departments dealing with welfare and social development.

  • KH Muniyappa: Social Welfare
  • Shivraj Tangadagi: Backwards Classes Welfare
  • T Raghumurthy: ST Welfare
  • UT Khader: Minority Welfare, Haj & Wakf, Health and Family Welfare
  • Santhosh Lad: Labour and Employment

Agriculture, industry and economic portfolios

The Cabinet allocation also assigns key responsibilities across Karnataka's agriculture, livestock, industrial and economic sectors.

  • Narendra Swamy: Agriculture
  • Puttaranga Shetty: Animal Husbandry and Sericulture
  • Rudrappa Manappa Lamani: Sugar and Textiles
  • Vijayananda Kashappanavar: Small Scale Industries and Public Enterprises
  • SS Mallikarjun: Mines and Geology, Horticulture
  • Lakshman Savadi: Cooperation, excluding Agricultural Marketing

Urban administration and civic affairs

HC Balakrishna has been given charge of Municipal Administration. Shivakumar will continue to oversee urban local bodies falling under the Bengaluru Development Authority and Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority areas.

Food, fisheries and other portfolios

The remaining major departments have also been distributed among the ministers.

  • Rizwan Arshad: Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs
  • KS Basavanthappa: Muzrai, Fisheries, Ports and Inland Water
  • Shivalinge Gowda: Excise
  • B Nagendra: Planning and Statistics
  • Ramalinga Reddy: Forest, Ecology and Environment

The portfolio allocation follows the recent expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet and gives the ministers defined administrative responsibilities. The distribution was announced on August 12, with the formal process involving the Governor's office.

 

Full Karnataka Cabinet portfolio list 2026 at a glance

With the latest allocation, Shivakumar retains some of the state's most significant financial and administrative departments, while the expanded Cabinet takes charge of individual sectors ranging from education and irrigation to welfare, agriculture, industries and urban governance.

The allocation comes at a crucial time as the Karnataka government prepares for legislative business, with ministers now set to focus on their respective departments and policy priorities.