Lumbini Province Cabinet expansion: "Ministries finalized, Ministers not"

Ratopati February 11, 2023

DANG, Feb. 11: CPN-UML MP Leela Giri took charge as the Chief Minister of the Lumbini Province Government on 11th January. The Lumbini province government is getting completed just 1 month after he took charge as the Chief Minister. The time for swearing in the new ministers has been fixed for 1 o'clock tomorrow. For the expansion of the Cabinet, the parties have been unable to make a decision about who will be made a minister even after the time of distribution of ministries and swearing-in has been decided among the ruling coalition parties.

It has been agreed that CPN-UML will take 5 ministries including the Chief Minister, CPN-Maoist Center will take 3 ministries, Rashtriya Prajatantra Party and Janamat Party will take 1 ministry each. CPN-UML has taken over the Ministry of Rural and Urban Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development, and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives along with the Chief Minister. Similarly, the Maoist center has got the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Communication, and Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development. Similarly, the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party got the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Land Management, and the Janamat Party got the responsibility of the Ministry of Forestry and Environment.

A member of parliament from the ruling coalition party said, "Even though the ministry has been finalized, the parties have not yet decided on the ministers." Because of this, even though the question of which party should be given which ministry has been answered, it has not been revealed who has been given the responsibility of which ministry.

In the Lumbini Provincial Assembly, there are 29 elected MPs from CPN-UML, 9 from CPN-Maoist Center, 4 from RPP, and 3 from Janamat Party. The elected MPs of the ruling coalition party are rushing to become ministers. The parties are preparing to send the name of the ministers to the provincial head office by this evening.