Six ministers take oath in Gandaki

POKHARA: JULY 23 – The Council of Ministers has been expanded in Gandaki. Chief Minister Krishna Chandra Nepali Pokharel has appointed six Congress and UCPN-M ministers. The new ministers have been sworn in today. State Chief Sita Kumari Poudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers.

From the UCPN-M, Ramji Baral has been sworn in as Finance Minister while Chandra Budha has been sworn in as Minister for Land Management, Agriculture, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation and Deepak Charti Magar has been sworn in as Minister for Forest, Environment and Soil Conservation.

Similarly, Mekhlal Shrestha of the Nepali Congress became the Minister of Education, Culture, Science, Technology and Social Development. Manibhadra Sharma was sworn in as Minister for Tourism, Industry and Supplies and Bindukumar Thapa as Minister for Law, Communications and State Assembly Affairs.

Earlier, Kumar Khadka of the Nepali Congress, who had become the social minister, got the responsibility of the minister of physical infrastructure, urban development and transport management.

In Gandaki, five Congress ministers, four Maoist ministers, one Jaspa minister and one independent minister have been appointed. Madhumaya Adhikari Gurung had earlier become the Minister of Health and Population from the Maoists.

The Janata Samajwadi Party, which is said to have two ministers, has got only one ministry in recent times. Harisharan Acharya, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Drinking Water and Independent MP Rajiv Gurung (Deepak Manange) are in charge of Youth and Sports.

Though the Congress had promised to make Dobate Bishwokarma a minister by Friday morning, his post was snatched at the last minute.