Vijayawada: Senior TDP leader Payyavula Keshav took charge as Finance and Legislative Affairs Minister on Thursday amid chanting of Vedic mantras by priests at the Secretariat. The minister put his first signature on a file releasing Rs 250 crore of 15th Finance Commission funds to local bodies. He said the amount was released as per the promise made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during the elections. Principal Secretary, Finance, Piyush Kumar, Secretaries K V V Satyanarayana, Janaki, Vinaychand, Chief Commissioner, State Tax, Girija Shankar, Special Secretary, Finance K Adinarayana and others congratulated the minister.