CM Poudel forms three-member cabinet

Hetauda, February 12

Province 3 Chief Minister Dormani Poudel took the oath of office and secrecy this morning and formed a three-member cabinet.

He was sworn in by Province 3 Governor Anuradha Koirala at her office. After garlanding martyrs’ statues at Martyrs’ Memorial he assumed the office of chief minister.

He appointed Shalikram Jamakattel as Minister of Internal Affairs and Law and Keshav Sthapit as Minister of Physical Infrastructure Development. Governor Koirala administered the oath of office and secrecy to both the ministers.

Though Jamakattel had refused to join the government earlier, saying the UML and the Maoist Centre had not yet finalised modality of the two parties’ unification, he joined the government after UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal persuaded him to do so.

Sthapit, who represents the UML in the PA, was the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. He had vied for the mayor’s post in the civic polls in Kathmandu last year.

He had even staked claim for the post of Province 3 chief minister.

Chief Minister Poudel, Speaker Sanu Kumar Shrestha, Deputy Speaker Radhika Tamang and Provincial Assembly members were present at the swearing-in ceremony.

The first cabinet meeting held this evening approved Provincial Government Work Division Regulation and Provincial Government Work Performance Regulation.

The meeting also decided to honour martyrs, said CM Poudel.

He also announced he would make Province 3 a model province.

“Province 3 has 12 districts and each district has a unique feature. We’ll develop one smart city in each district to demonstrate their uniqueness,” Poudel added.

(UPDATED)

Expansion of provincial government in Province 3

HETAUNDA: CPN-UML leader Keshav Sthapit has been appointed as the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Development of Province 3 today.

Similarly, CPN Maoist Centre Parliamentary Party leader Salikram Jamarkattel has been appointed the Minister for Local Governance and Law at the Provincial Secretariat of Province 3 in Hetaunda this afternoon.

It has been learnt that Chief Minister of Province 3 Dor Mani Poudel would be administering the oath of office and secrecy to Sthapit and Jamarkattel today itself.