Amit Shah in his Union cabinet debut has been made India's new home minister, the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced on Friday.

Rajnath Singh, who earlier held the home portfolio, will be the defence minister. Nirmala Sitharaman, who led the defence ministry in the previous government, will head finance. Sitharaman will also look after corporate affairs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain the department of personnel and training, atomic energy as well as all important policy issues and portfolios not allocated.

Former foreign secretary S. Jaishankar, who was the big surprise at the swearing-in ceremony yesterday, has expectedly got charge of the external affairs ministry.

This election's giant slayer Smriti Irani, who defeated Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, has retained charge of textiles and has also been given charge of the women and child development ministry, earlier held by Maneka Gandhi. Maneka has been dropped as a minister.

Nitin Gadkari, who had criticised the BJP leadership during the campaign, will continue as minister of road transport and highways. He has also been given charge of micro, small and medium enterprises, but his earlier responsibilities of shipping, water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation are no longer with him.

Mansukh L. Mandaviya has been made the minister of state with independent charge for shipping.

This cabinet will also have a new ministry -- Jal Shakti. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will lead it.

Piyush Goyal remains in charge of railways and has acquired the commerce and industries ministry, which was earlier with Suresh Prabhu. Prabhu is no longer a minister in this government and his other responsibility, civil aviation, has gone to Hardeep Puri who is a minister of state with independent charge now.

Ravi Shankar Prasad will continue to helm the law ministry and lead the ministries of communications, electronics and information technology.

Modi and 57 ministers were sworn in on Thursday.