PM Deuba expands cabinet for second time, 19 ministers sworn in

Kathmandu - Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has expanded the Council of Ministers the second time today. 

The newly appointed ministers are Yagya Bahadur Thapa (Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs), Sanjay Gautam (Irrigation), Ram Krishna Yadav (Agricultural Development), Rajendra Kumar KC (Youth and Sports), Bhimsendas Pradhan (Defence), Ambika Banset (Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation), Mohan Bahadur Basnet (Information and Communications), Bir Bahadur Balayar (Physical Infrastructure and Transport), Min Bahadur Bishwokarma (Commerce) and Mahendra Yadav(Water Supply and Sanitation) from the Nepali Congress. 

Similarly, Girirajmani Pokharel ( Health), Tek Bahadur Basnet (General Administration), Shiva Kumar Mandal (Supplies), Mahendra Bahadur Shahi (Energy), Asha Koirala (Women, Children and Social Welfare) and Santa Kumar Tharu (Livestock Development) from the CPN (Maoist Centre), and Jitendra Dev (Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation) and Gopal Dahit (Land Reform and Management) from the Nepal Loktantrik Forum and Mithila Chaudhary (Population and Environment) from the CPN (United) are also inducted as ministers. 

The Prime Minister has kept the portfolios of the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Forest, the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction to himself. 

President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-appointed ministers at a special ceremony held at the Office of the President at Shital Niwas today. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was present on the occasion. 

Also present on the occasion were the Chief Justice Gopal Prajuli, Speaker Onsari Gharti, the three Deputy Prime Ministers, ministers, the chiefs of the constitutional bodies, chiefs of the security bodies, lawmakers and the government high officials. 

Among the newly inducted ministers are 10 from the Nepali Congress, six from the CPN (Maoist Centre), two from the Nepal Loktantrik Forum and one from the CPN (United). 

Nepali Congress president 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 have been appointed 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.