Kathmandu, March 4

Less than 24 hours after his resignation, Yubaraj Khatiwada has been reappointed as the Minister for Finance and also Communications and Information Technology.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari appointed Khatiwada as the minister on the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Following the reappointment, President Bhandari had sworn in Khatiwada as the finance minister and minister for communications and information technology.

Moreover, Khatiwada resumed office today itself. Khatiwada had resigned from his ministerial posts on Tuesday following the end of his two-year tenure at the National Assembly (NA).

However, despite his reappointment as finance minister and the minister for communications and information technology today, Khatiwada must become a member of one of the two Houses of the Parliament within six months to continue serving as minister.

The National Assembly has one vacant seat, which can be filled by the prime minister upon the president’s authentication. However, the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Secretariat has decided to recommend Bam Dev Gautam to the NA in place of Khatiwada, which the prime minister has rejected. Even if the prime minister goes with the party secretariat’s decision, Khatiwada can continue as minister for six months from the date of his reappointment.

Talking to the media after his reappointment, Minister Khatiwada said that the government will immediately start taking measures to combat the possible impact and challenges of coronavirus on the country’s economy.

Citing that the spread of the virus has already started affecting the country’s trade, projects and construction works and supply side of different goods, Khatiwada said that effective measures will be taken to ensure that the coronavirus will have as less impact as possible on the economy.

“I call myself a fighter, a fighter for the economy. I will fight to end poverty in the country and betterment of the economy till I am here,” the minister said.