By Purushottam P. Khatri
Kathmandu, Dec. 26: President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to newly appointed eight Cabinet ministers at a special ceremony organised at the Sheetal Niwas on Friday evening.
Earlier today, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli reshuffled and expanded the Cabinet, adding nine new faces, eight ministers and one state minister.
The newly appointed ministers include Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Mani Chandra Thapa, Prabhu Sah, Prem Ale, Ganesh Thagunna, Gauri Shankar Chaudhary, Dawa Lama Tamang and Julie Kumari Mahato while Bimala Bishwakarma was appointed state minister.
Six days after seven ministers representing the Prachanda-Nepal faction of the ruling Nepal Communist Party tendered their resignation en masse protesting against the dissolution of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Oli also relived two others from his Cabinet this evening.
They included Minister for Youth and Sports Jagat Bishwakarma and Minister of State for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Moti Lal Dugad.
Likewise, portfolios of six sitting ministers have been altered in the reshuffle.
Of the newly appointed ministers, Rayamajhi, the former Maoist leader, has been given the responsibility of Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation Ministry, Thapa of Drinking Water, Sah of Urban Development and Ale of the Forest and Environment Ministry.
Similarly, Thagunna has become the Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration, Chaudhary Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Tamang Minister for Youth and Sports and Mahato Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens.
Bimala Bishwokarma has been appointed Minister of State for Industry, Commerce and Supplies.
Likewise, in the reshuffle, Minister for Health and Population Bhanubhakta Dhakal is given the responsibility of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, and Federal Affairs Minister Hridayesh Tripathi has become Health and Population Minister.
Women and Children Minister Lilanath Shrestha has become Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Minister for Law Dr. Shivamaya Tumbahamphe has become Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Minister.
Land Management Minister Padma Aryal has been given the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
Similarly, Urban Development Minister Krishna Gopal Shrestha has become Education, Science and Technology Minister.
According to Joint Secretary and Joint Spokesperson at the President Office Keshav Ghimire, President Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to eight Cabinet ministers at the Office of President while Prime Minister Oli administered oath to State Minister Bishwakarma also at the President’s Office.
After the dissolution of the House of Representatives, Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai, Agriculture Minister Ghanshyam Bhusal, Energy Minister Barshaman Pun, Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel, Forest Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Labour Minister Rameshwar Rai Yadav and Drinking Water Minister Bina Magar had resigned en masse.