Tuesday, August 29 2006 12:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: Ten new ministers, five each from ruling coalition partners Congress and the People's Democratic Party, were today inducted into the Jammu and Kashmir council of ministers as Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad went ahead with the first expansion of his Government.

Dilawar Mir (PDP), Gulchain Singh (Cong) and Jugal Kishore Sharma (Cong) are the three new ministers of Cabinet rank while the remaining were inducted as ministers of state.

Among the three, Singh is the only one to be elevated to Cabinet rank after previously having been a Minister of State in the Azad government.

Chief Minister Azad had met Governor S K Sinha at Raj Bhavan last afternoon to discuss the ministry expansion, official sources said.

At the time of swearing-in last November, Azad had inducted 12 ministers 10 of cabinet rank and two Ministers of State with independent charge.