Himal Press 
ITAHARI: The first meeting of the Province 1 cabinet has decided to cut the number of ministries to nine.
The Province 1 Government currently has 13 ministries.
Among others, the cabinet meeting held on Monday evening decided to cut public expenditure, maintain austerity, and make needful arrangements to protect people from the cold wave.
Chief Minister Hikmat Bahadur Karki and three ministers were sworn in earlier in the day. Til Kumar Meyangbo of CPN-UML, Bhakti Sitaula of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Nirmala Limbu of Janata Samajbadi Party have also been sworn in as ministers in Karki’s cabinet. They, however, are yet to get ministerial portfolios.
The decision to lower the number of ministries to nine means the Province 1 Government can appoint six more ministers.
Coalition partner CPN (Maoist Center) has decided not to join the Province 1 government immediately due to a disagreement over the leadership of the government. The party had demanded that the Province 1 Government be led by both UML and Maoist Center on a rotating basis, but the ruling coalition has reportedly decided that UML will lead the government for the full term.
