KATHMANDU, July 15: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and 21 other ministers took their oaths of office and secrecy at a swearing-in ceremony held at the President’s official residence, Sheetal Niwas, on Monday morning.
Prime Minister Oli appointed Prakash Man Singh and Bishnu Prasad Paudel as Deputy Prime Ministers, with Paudel being given the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance and Singh of the Ministry of Urban Development.
Although Oli aimed to complete the Cabinet at once due to the large number of aspiring MPs, there were concerns about the lack of inclusiveness in the Cabinet formation process.
Menstruating females restricted from using toilets in Achham
UML Secretary Chabilal Bishwakarma, who was expected to become a minister, was removed from the list at the last minute, despite being one of the few senior UML leaders to win elections.
The Nepali Congress, the other coalition partner, also did not appoint any Dalit member of parliament as a minister.
Similarly, the Janata Samajwadi Party and the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, which participated in the government, did not make any Dalit member of parliament a minister.
This resulted in not a single ministry being given to the Dalit community despite the leadership of all ministries being acquired.
Prime Minister Oli has inducted only two female ministers in the 21-member Cabinet. Arju Rana Deuba has been appointed as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Bidya Bhattrai as the Minister for Education.
