Ministers’ spouses richer than their better halves

Kathmandu, May 23

Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth is the richest minister in the KP Sharma Oli Cabinet, although major parts of his property is owned by his wife Juli Kumari Mahato.

Property details of Cabinet members posted on the PMO website show that the wife of PM Oli is richer than him. Not only Oli’s wife, spouses of ministers Ishwar Pokharel, Matrika Yadav, Ram Bahadur Thapa and Pradeep Kumar Gyawali are also richer than them.

Oli has Rs 4.2 million in his bank deposits, while all other properties, including a house built on one-and-a half ropanis in Suryabinayak Municipality of Bhaktapur, are in his wife Radhika Shakya’s name. She even has 17-18 tolas of gold.

The PM, who had Rs 7 lakh in his bank account two years ago, now has Rs 4.2 million, which means he added Rs 3.5 million in the last two years. The PM has stated salary allowance as the source of his bank deposit.

Minister Mahaseth’s wife Juli Kumari Mahato has two houses in Dhanusha, two ropanis and 13 anas in Lalitpur and one ropani and seven anas in Dhobighat of Kathmandu. The minister has Rs 7.2 million in bank deposits and 52 tola gold, besides some ancestral properties.

Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Prasad Adhikari, who has Rs 2.5 million in bank deposits, owns the highest amount of gold — 60 tolas —listed as ancestral property.  He has 94 ropanis as ancestral property in Kaski district, besides five anas in Budhanilkantha Municipality, Kathmandu.

Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada has plots of land in Jhapa, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Dolakha districts worth Rs 10.49 million. He has 10 tola gold and one kg silver. He also owns a car.

Pramila Devi, wife of Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Yadav, owns more property than her husband. She has a plot of land worth Rs 10,500,000 in Chapagaun, Lalitpur. She also owns two plots of land in Siraha and Dhanusha worth Rs 4.5 million,  10 tola  gold and a vehicle.

Defence Minister Ishwar Pokharel has 12 kattha ancestral land in Chandragadhi, Jhapa, and  Rs 700,000 in his savings account. All other properties, including a house built on 23 anas in Tokha Municipality of Kathmandu and plots  in Nagarkot and Dhading Khanikhola are in his wife’s name. She has taken a loan of Rs 3 million.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has taken Rs 1.5 million loan. Gyawali’s wife Saraswati Gyawali owns a house built in four anas in Kathmandu and its purchase price has been listed as Rs 2.1 million.

Minister of Labour and Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista has  land in Kathmandu Metropolis in his wife Pratima Shrestha’s name which is worth four million rupees. He has some land in Gulmi, besides seven tola gold.

Minister of Women, Children and Senior Citizens Tham Maya Thapa Magar is the least wealthy among the Cabinet members with seven anas and one paisa land in her home district of Myagdi and one tola gold. She only has Rs 15,000 in her savings account.

Among the ministers having least property is Minister of  Drinking Water Bina Thapa Magar, who  has three kattha land in Chitwan-  two kattha in the name of her late husband Prakash Dahal and one kattha in the name of her mother-in-law Sita Dahal. She also owns five tola gold and 16 tola silver.

Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has also listed two dogs gifted by his neighbours as his property. He only has Rs 20,000 in his savings account, while all other properties are owned by his wife and his party.

Thapa has a Chevrolet Tavera owned by the former UCPN-M.

Property details of Cabinet members

PM KP Sharma Oli

  • 3-storey house on 1.5 ropanis of land in Bhaktapur
  • 10 kattha land in Jhapa
  • 17-18 tolas of gold jewellery
  • Rs 5.2m in banks
  • Rs 2.5m of government savings bond

Defence Minister Ishwor Pokharel

  • 3-storey house on 23 aanas of land in Kathmandu
  • 12 kattha land (Jhapa); 1 ropani 11 aanas land (Bhaktapur); 4 ropanis land (Dhading)
  • 8-9 tolas gold
  • 22-25 tolas silver
  • Rs 1.3m in banks
  • 15,200 units shares in Barun Hydro, Agricultural Development Bank, Modern Kanya Multiple College

Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa

  • Land in Chitwan
  • About 6 tolas of gold
  • Around Rs 300,000 worth of silver
  • Rs 380,193 in banks
  • 146 units of shares in Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Co
  • Chevrolet Tavera Neo car
  • 2 dogs

Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali

  • 2-storey house in Kathmandu
  • Around 2 tolas of gold
  • Rs 259,283 in banks

Energy Minister Barsha Man Pun

  • 3 houses in Rolpa
  • 674.23 sq m land (Dang); 75,425 sq m land (Rolpa)
  • 15 tolas of gold
  • 0.5 kg of silver
  • Rs 700,000 in cash
  • Rs 1m in banks
  • Car

Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel

  • Land in Khotang
  • Rs 380,993 in banks
  • Rs 5,000 worth of shares in Rupakot Community Radio, Khotang

Industry Minister Matrika Prasad Yadav

  • House on 2.5 dhur of land in Siraha; house in Dhanusha
  • Land in Siraha, Dhanusha, Lalitpur
  • 6 tolas of gold necklaces
  • 10 tolas of gold jewellery
  • Rs 552,872 in banks
  • Car

Infrastructure Minister Raghubir Mahaseth

  • 2.5-storey house on 4,200 sq ft land (Dhanusha); 2.5-storey house on 5,800 sq ft land (Lalitpur); house on 6,500 sq ft land (Dhanusha)
  • Land in Dhanusha, Sindhuli, Lalitpur
  • Rs7.2m in cash
  • 52 tolas gold
  • 1.5 kg silver
  • Deposits in 6 banks
  • Rs 400.2m worth of shares

Labour Minister Gokarna Bista

  • House in Kathmandu; 2 houses and 2 huts in Gulmi
  • Land in Gulmi
  • Around 7 tolas of gold jewellery
  • Rs 734,133 in banks
  • 314 units of shares in 2 banks
  • 2 ox, 1 buffalo, 1 cow and 4 goats

Forest Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet

  • House in Jajarkot
  • Land in Jajarkot
  • Rs 1.5m in cash
  • 5 tolas of gold
  • 10 kg of silver
  • Rs 200,000 in a bank
  • Rs 310,000 worth of shares
  • Mahindra Scorpio SUV

Federal Affairs Minister Lal Babu Pandit

  • 5-room house on 1 kattha of land in Morang
  • Land in Lalitpur, Morang, Sarlahi
  • 10 tolas of gold
  • 15 tolas of silver
  • Rs 5.5m in banks
  • Bicycle

Women Minister Thammaya Thapa

  • House in Myagdi
  • 1 tola gold
  • Rs 15,000 in banks

Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada

  • 2 houses on 19 aanas of land in Kathmandu
  • Land in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Jhapa, Dolakha
  • 10 tolas of gold jewellery
  • 1 kg of silver jewellery
  • Rs 150,000 in cash
  • Rs 9.2m in banks; $62,703 in banks
  • 5,050 units of shares in cooperatives
  • Car

Youth Minister Jagat Bahadur Sunar Bishwokarma

  • House in Kaski
  • Land in Kaski, Lalitpur
  • 50 tolas of gold jewellery
  • Rs 2m in bank
  • 4,000 units of shares in bank

Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari

  • House on 9.5 ropanis land (Kaski); house on 5 aanas land (Kathmandu)
  • 94.5 ropanis land in Kaski
  • 60 tolas of gold
  • 30 kg of silver
  • Rs2.5m in banks
  • Rs 3m worth of shares
  • Car

Law Minister Sher Bahadur Tamang

  • 2.5-storey house on 3.3 aanas land in Kathmandu
  • 105 ropanis of land in Khotang; land in Sindhupalanchowk, Morang, Kathmandu
  • 30 tolas of gold
  • Rs 128,942 in Everest Bank
  • Rs 1.5m worth of shares in various companies
  • Car, motorcycle

Agriculture Minister Chakrapani Khanal

  • 28.5 katthas of land in Kapilvastu, Rupandehi
  • Around 6 tolas of jewellery
  • Rs 1.5m in banks
  • Rs 1.04m worth of shares
  • Scooter

Drinking Water Minister Bina Magar

  • 3 katthas of land in Chitwan
  • 5 tolas of gold
  • 16 tolas of silver
  • Scooter