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