Kathmandu, Nepal, October 8, 2021: Finally, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has expanded his Cabinet about three months after the formation of the incumbent government under his leadership.
Following the rounds of negotiations among the leaders of the coalition partners, Prime Minister Deuba included 16 more new cabinet ministers and two state ministers from the ruling partners- Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (Maoist Center), CPN ( United Socialist) and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP).
Following the recommendation of the Prime Minister Deuba, President Bidya Devi Bhandari expanded the Cabinet as per the recommendation of the prime minister under Article 76 and its sub-article (9) and Article 78 and its sub-article (1), a statement issued by the Office of the President said.
Of the newly included ministers, five are appointed from the Nepali Congress, three from the CPN (Maoist Centre), four each from the CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Janata Samajbadi Party. Likewise, one each state minister are included from the CPN (Unified Socialist) and the CPN (Maoist Centre).
Nepali Congress’s leader Minendra Rijal has been appointed as Defence minister, Dilendra Prasad Badu as Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs minister, Uma Kanta Chaudhari as Water Supply minister, Uma Regmi as Women, Children and Senior Citizens and Gajendra Hamal as Industry, Commerce and Supplies minister.
Badu has replaced Gyanendra Bahadur Karki. , Karki has been shifted to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
Similarly, CPN (Maoist Center) leader Devendra Poudel has been appointed as ministers for Education, Science and Technology, Shashi Shrestha as Land Reforms, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Maheshwor Gahatraj as and Youth and Sports and Bodh Maya Kumari Yadav has been appointed as state minister for Education, Science and Technology.
Likewise, from the CPN (Unified Socialist) Birodh Khatiwada has been appointed as Health and Population, Ram Kumari Jhakri as Urban Development, Krishna Kumar Shrestha as Labour, Employment and Social Security, Prem Ale as Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Bhawani Khapung as state minister for Health and Population.
Likewise, Rastriya Janata Party leader Rajendra Shrestha has been appointed as Federal Affairs and Local Development, Renu Yadav as Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav as Forest and Environment and Agriculture and Mahendra Raya Yadav as Livestock Development.
Umesh Shrestha, who was appointed as state minister for health has been shifted to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers as state minister without portfolio.
