PM to look after I & B Ministry

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold charge of the key Information and Broadcasting Ministry during the indisposition of P R Dasmunsi, who has been admitted to hospital following a heart attack last month.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said Singh will hold this charge till Dasmunsi, 62, is able to resume his work.

Dasmunsi, who is undergoing treatment at Apollo hospital here, will continue to hold the rank of a Cabinet Minister without portfolio.

He was admitted to AIIMS on October 13 after he complained of breathlessness, chest pain and congestion. He was later shifted to Apollo hospital.

Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma will assist the Prime Minister in handling the ministry's affairs.

Sharma had been asked to take the additional charge of the Information and Broadcasting Minister as Minister of State on October 18.