Nepal PM Sushila Karki expands cabinet; four ministers take oath | Who gets what

Nepal Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Monday expanded her cabinet, adding four members to the Council of Ministers. The development comes days after she was sworn in as the prime minister of the Himalayan nation, after the KP Sharma Oli government was toppled following the Gen-Z protests in the country.

This is the second time that Karki has expanded her cabinet.

The four members who were added to the Council of Ministers were former Justice Anil Kumar Sinha, Samata Foundation chairperson Madan Pariyar, Magsaysay winner Mahabir Pun, and TV anchor Jagdish Kharel. The oath was administered to them by Nepal President Ram Chandra Paudel at Shital Niwas in Kathmandu. 

Nepal cabinet expansion: Who gets what?

According to news agency ANI, Sinha has been given the charge of Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply; Law and Justice; and Land Reforms, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation. Pun, on the other hand, got the education, and science and technology department.

The agriculture department was given to Pariyar, while Kharel was made the information and communications minister.

Who are the new ministers?

Former Justice Anil Kumar Sinha

Anil Kumar Sinha became a Supreme Court justice in 2016 and retired in 2023. Sinha, who has expertise in tax and corporate law, was a member of the Nepali SC bench that allowed a probe into misappropriation of government land at Lalita Niwas in Baluwatar, as per Nepal Times.

Samata Foundation chairperson Madan Pariyar

Madan Pariyar is the chairperson of the Samata Foundation. According to Nepal Times, Pariyar received his doctorate from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok. He also received a Bachelors of Science in Agricultural Engineering from the Allahabad Agricultural Institute in India.

Magsaysay winner Mahabir Pun

70-year-old Pun has been made the minister of education, and science and technology. He has served as the chairperson of the National Innovation Center.

TV anchor Jagdish Kharel

Kharel is a veteran Nepali journalist who has been made the minister of communication and information technology. Currently, he leads the Image Channel in Nepal.