Indian-origin MP Alok Sharma was appointed minister of state in the Department for Communities and Local Government in the UK government. The Conservative party MP had held on to his Reading West seat by 2,876 votes in the June 8 general election. He is absolutely delighted to be elected as MP for a third time. The MP claims that over the past seven years, the big issues he has tackled include securing more spaces at schools, getting more business investment and securing more standard class seats on trains from Reading into Paddington. In his new ministerial post, Sharma will serve as a junior minister under Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid, who was re-appointed secretary of state for communities and local government last week. Earlier, Sharma had been parliamentary under-secretary for Asia and the Pacific in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and was effectively the FCO minister in charge of India.His latest appointment marks a step up in the UK ministerial ranks.
