Dahal expands cabinet, new ministers sworn in

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Friday expanded his cabinet by inducting 11 new faces.

Dahal has included four ministers from Nepali Congress, two from CPN (Unified Socialist), and one each from CPN (Maoist Center), Janata Samajbadi Party, Janamukti Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party and Nepal Samajbadi Party.

Nepali Congress has joined the government under the leadership of party Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka. Khadka was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. Similarly, CPN (Unified Socialist) has joined the government under the leadership of its vice president Dr Beduram Bhusal.

Abdul Khan of Janamat Party, a ruling coalition partner, however, tendered his resignation ahead of the swearing in ceremony. Janamat Party is dissatisfied with PM Dahal for not giving it the ministry of its choice.

The party had been demanding either industry or agriculture portfolio.

Dahal’s cabinet
1. Pushpa Kamal Dahal – Prime Minister
2. Purna Bahadur Khadka – Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence
3. Narayan Kaji Shrestha – Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs
4. Dr Beduram Bhusal – Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development
5. Ashok Kumar Rai – Minister for Education, Science and Technology
6. Saratsingh Bhandari – Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security
7. Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat – Minister for Finance
8. Mahindra Raya Yadav – Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens
9. Shakti Bahadur Basnet – Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation
10. Rekha Sharma – Minister for Communications and Information Technology
11. Sudan Kirati – Minister, Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation
12. Amanlal Modi – Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration
13. Prakash Jwala – Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport
14. Ranjita Shrestha – Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation
15. Ramesh Rijal – Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies
16. Sita Gurung – Minister for Urban Development
17. Sushila Sirpali Thakuri – Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation