The new union cabinet led by prime minister Manmohan Singh is an attempt to give greater representation to the various regions of the country and to the Congress party in that sense while at the same time projecting a younger face of his government.

Team Manmohan-II also has the maximum number of former chief ministers in any union ministry so far. The prime minister, however, has been prudent enough in the allocation of portfolios.

While former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna has been given charge of external affairs, five-time chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh got steel ministry. Former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah has been given new and renewable energy ministry while Maharashtra strongman Vilasrao Deshmukh has been put in charge of heavy industries and public enterprises.

The average age of the union cabinet is now 63 years against 66 a year ago. Seven ministers of state with independent charge are of an average age of around 59 years while the average age of the 38 ministers of state is 53 years.

It was Dinsha Patel, Sriprakash Jaiswal and Prithviraj Chauhan in their 60s who have pushed the average of the group to 59 years from 55 years in the previous government.

Most of the ministers are in the age group of 50-60 while five of the ministers are in their 30s and a dozen in their 40s.

The new ministry has 10 septuagenarians and almost an equal number nearing 70.

Foreign minister S M Krishna (77) and the prime minister himself (76) are among the oldest in the cabinet while Agatha Sangma, daughter of NCP leader and former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma (28), is the youngest member of the council of ministers.

Following is the list of the members of the union council of ministers: