Three Ministers Join Interim Government in Nepal; Cabinet Limited to 15 Members

ছবিঃ সংগৃহীত

News Desk:

Three ministers have joined Nepal’s interim government. Including these three, the new cabinet led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki will have a maximum of 15 members, according to Nepali news outlet Kathmandu Post on Monday, 15 September.

The report states that just two days after assuming office as the head of the interim government, Prime Minister Sushila Karki expanded her cabinet on Sunday by appointing three new ministers.

• Rameshwar Khanal, former Finance Secretary, has been appointed Finance Minister.

• Renowned lawyer Om Prakash Aryal has been appointed Home Minister.

• Kulman Ghising, former Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, has been appointed Minister of Energy and Irrigation.

Ghising has also been given responsibility for two additional ministries: Bridge and Transport and Urban Development. The new ministers are expected to take their oath on Monday, according to a close aide of the Prime Minister.

Sources close to Karki said that during this emergency period, she intends to keep the cabinet size limited to 15 members, with the remaining appointments being made gradually.

A Karki adviser noted that the priority for appointing the Finance and Home Ministers was to stabilize the situation, restore trust among the business community and other stakeholders, and provide some relief to the public. Hence, individuals proven to be competent and trustworthy were selected.

Initially, Advocate Aryal preferred to assist the government from outside but ultimately agreed to the ministerial position. He had recently participated in discussions with President Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister Karki, and representatives of the Jan G movement alongside major political parties.

Last week, at least 70 people were killed during two days of anti-corruption protests under the banner of the Jan G movement. Hundreds of millions of rupees’ worth of public and private property were damaged across the country.

Discussions about the cabinet expansion began on Saturday evening, and on Sunday night, Prime Minister Karki finalized that Aryal would take charge of the Home, Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs ministries, Khanal would be Finance Minister, and Ghising would be Minister of Energy.