Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: Rajya Sabha member from Odisha, Ashwini Vaishnaw, assumed the office as the Minister of Railways today.

The former IAS Officer of Odisha cadre was inducted to the Union Cabinet in a major reshuffle yesterday.

President Ram Nath Kovind had administered oath of office to Vaishnaw at a ceremony on Wednesday evening.

Vaishnaw, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, is representing Odisha in the Upper House of Parliament since July 1, 2019. He joined the BJP on June 22, 2019, a day after the saffron party fielded him as its nominee for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in same year.