Deuba adds 19 new ministers in cabinet

KATHMANDU, July 26: Despite facing criticism for prolonged delay in expanding the cabinet, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has finally added 19 more ministers to the government incorporating leaders from four parties.

The newly appointed ministers took the oath of office and secrecy from President Bidya Devi Bhandari at Sital Niwal on Wednesday afternoon.

The 19 ministers include 10 ministers from Nepali Congress, six from CPN (Maoist Center), two from Nepal Loktantrik Forum and one from CPN (United).

From Nepali Congress Party, Bir Bahadur Balayar was sworn-in as the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Yagya Badharu Thapa as the Minister of Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sanjya Gautam as the Minister for Irrigation, Min Bishwokarma as the Minister for Commerce and Supplies, Ambika Basnet as the Minister for Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation, Bhimsen Das Pradhan as the Minister for Defense, Ram Krishna Yadav as the Minister for Agricultural Development, Rajan KC as the Minister for Youth and Sports and Mahendra Yadav as the Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation and Mohan Bahadur Basnet as the Minister for Information and Communications.

Likewise, from Maoist Center’s side, Girirajmani Pokhrel took oath as the Minister for Health, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi as the Minister for Energy, Aasha Koirala as the Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare, Santa Kumar Chaudhary as the Minister for Livestock Development, Tek Bahadur Basnet as the Minister for General Administration and Shiva Kumar Mandal as the Minster for Supplies.

Similarly, Nepal Loktantrik Forum’s Jitendra Narayan Dev and Gopal Dahit were sworn-in as the Minister for Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation and the Minister for Land Reforms and Management respectively.

Also, CPN (United)’s Mithila Chaudhary took oath as the Minister for Science, Technology and Environment.

With the expansion, Deuba-led government has now 27 ministers including the prime minister and three deputy prime ministers.

Deuba, who was elected the Prime Minister by the Legislature-Parliament on June 6, had formed an eight-member Council of Ministers on June 7, the day of his swearing-in.

Nepal Loktantrik Forum chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar had been included in the Council of Ministers as Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development, Krishna Bahadur Mahara of the CPN (Maoist Centre) as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Gopalman Shrestha of the Nepali Congress as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, before this.

Similarly, Gyanendra Bahadfur Karki and Farmullah Mansoor of the Nepali Congress were appointed as the Finance Minister and the Minister for Labour and Employment respectively, Janardan Sharma and Prabhu Saha of the CPN (Maoist Centre) as the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Urban Development respectively.