Nepal PM expands Cabinet, includes 13 min from Nepali Congress

TIL Desk/World/Washington- Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda today inducted 13 new ministers from major coalition partner Nepali Congress into his Cabinet, including the important Minister of Foreign Affairs, taking its total strength to 31.

With that expansion, Prachanda’s Cabinet has taken a full shape. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered oath to the newly-appointed ministers during a ceremony at ‘Sheetal Niwas’ or the Rastrapati Bhawan here. NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel, other than Premier Prachanda, attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Those sworn-in included: Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Bal Krishna Khand, Minister for Defence; Sita Devi Yadav, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction; and Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. The porfolios of nine others were also assigned today.