Three new cabinet ministers, all three elevated from minister of state rank, and three new ministers of state were on Wednesday inducted in the 19-month-old United Progressive Alliance (UPA) II government as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began an exercise to shore up the image of his ministry buffeted by corruption scandals and charges of non-performance.

President Pratibha Patil administered the oaths of office and secrecy to the new ministers at the Ashoka Hall in Rastrapati Bhavan. Salman Khursheed, Praful Patel and Sriprakash Jaiswal have been promoted as cabinet ministers.