Prime Minister Deuba expands government

October 18, 2001
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Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba Thursday expanded and reshuffled the portfolios of his three-month 13 member cabinet by including 28 more new cabinet ministers, ministers

of state and assistant ministers, a Royal Palace announcement said.

There are 19 cabinet ministers, 16 ministers of state and seven assistant ministers in the expanded government. Deuba did not drop any members of the original government while

forming the jumbo ministry to accommodate rival factions in his ruling Nepali Congress Party.

Deuba formed the government the same day King Gyanendra prorogued the annual budget session of parliament. Government expansion coincides with attempts by a powerful section

in the party pressurizing Deuba not to concede to Maoist demands for a republic and an interim government to end a nearly six year communist insurgency that has claimed more than 1,800 lives.

Former Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi and a confidante of powerful party president Girija Prasad Koirala even suggested Maoist rebellion should be forcibly crushed as the prime minister pursues peace talks with the rebels.

Deuba brought in the only woman in the government, Mrs. Sabitri Bogathi Pathak, as assistant minister for Physical Planning and Works. Deuba did not split ministries to accommodate aspirants for ministerial posts after stiff opposition from Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and Agriculture Minister Mahesh Acharya and donors pushing for a down-sizing of the administration.

According to a Royal Palace announcement, the names of members of the Council of Ministers and their portfolios are given below:

 

Sher Bahadur Deuba -Prime Minister, Royal Palace, Defence and Foreign Affairs

Ministers:

 

Chiranjibi Wagle-

 

Minister for Physical Planning and Works

Khum Bahadur Khadka-

 

Minister for Home and Local Development

Gopal Man Shrestha-

 

Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation

Dr Ram Sharan Mahat-

 

Minister for Finance

Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar-

 

Minister for Water Resources

Bal Bahadur KC-

 

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation

Sarat Singh Bhandari-

 

Minister for Health

Palten Gurung –

 

Minister for Labour and Transport Management

Purna Bahadur Khadka-

 

Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies

Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta-

 

 

Minister for Information and Communication

Mahesh Acharya-

 

 

Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives

Amod Prasad Upadhyaya-

 

 

Minister for Education and Sports

Prem Lal Singh-

 

 

Minister for Population and Environment

Rshikesh Gautam-

 

Minister without portfolio (Prime Minister’s Office)

Rajendra Kharel-

 

Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare

Khem Raj Bhatta Mayalu-

 

Minister for General Administration

Narendra Bikram Nembang-

 

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs

Ministers of State

 

Bhakta Bahadur Balayar-

 

Minister of State for Science and Technology

Ram Janam Chaudhari-

 

Minister of State for Land Reforms and Management

Devendra Raj Kandel-

 

Minister of State for Home

Duryodhan Singh-

 

Minister of State for Local Development

Surendra Hamal-

 

Minister of State for Forest and Soil Conservation

Shiv Raj Joshi-

 

Minister of State for Labour and Transport Management

Narayan Sharma-

 

Minister of State for Water Resources

Arjun Jung Bahadur Singh-

 

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs

Laxman Mehata-

 

Minister of State for Agriculture and Cooperatives

Miss Sushila Swar-

 

Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare

Hari Narayan Chaudhari-

 

Minister of State for Information and Communication

Narayan Prasad Saud-

 

Minister of State for Education and Sports

Keshav Thapa-

 

Minister of State for Physical Planning and Works

Sarbadhan Rai-

 

Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation

Mohan Basnet-

 

Minister of State for Health

Bharat Kumar Shah-

 

Minister of State for Finance

Assistant Ministers

 

Prakash Bahadur Gurung-

 

Assistant Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies

Dilli Raj Sharma-

 

Assistant Minister for Land Reforms and Management

Nagendra Kumar Raya-

 

Assistant Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs

Sabitri Bogati Pathak-

 

Assistant Minister for Physical Planning and Works

Dil Bahadur Lama-

 

Assistant Minister for General Administration

Birendra Kumar Kanaudiya-

 

Assistant Minister for Water Resources

Ajaya Kumar Chaurasiya-

 

Assistant Minister for Local Development