HETAUDA, DECEMBER 24

Bagmati Province Chief Minister Rajendra Pande has expanded his Cabinet once again for the fourth time. With the latest expansion, three ministers and three state ministers have been appointed to the government from the Nepali Congress.

While NC leaders Balaram Poudel, Milanbabu Shrestha and Dipendra Shrestha have been appointed as Land Management Cooperatives minister, Industry Commerce and Supply minister, and Culture and Tourism minister respectively, Santa Bahadur Praja has been appointed as Physical Infrastructure Development state minister; Rajani Amatya, as Industry Commerce and Supply state minister; Kalpana Nepali, as Health state minister.

With the recent inductions, the Cabinet in the province has got a full shape, with all 14 ministerial portfolios occupied now.

The newly inducted ministers and state ministers were administered oath of office and secrecy by Province Governor Yadavchandra Sharma.

In the first phase, NC Parliamentary Party deputy leader Krishnalal Bhandel, CPN-Maoist Centre Parliamentary Party deputy leader Kumari Moktan and CPN-Unified Socialist Parliamentary Party deputy leader Krishna Prasad Sharma Khanal were appointed as minsters. In the second phase, two more ministers were appointed from CPN-Maoist Centre and Nepali Congress.

Similarly, more ministers and state minsters were inducted in the next phase.

The government in the province had decided to split the existing eight ministries and increase the ministerial portfolios to 14, Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers included, about one month ago.

A version of this article appears in the print on December 25, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.