Oli adds ministers while people die of cold

KATHMANDU, Dec 25: At a time when nearly a million earthquake-affected people have been living under flimsy shelters in various parts of the country, the prime minister seems focused on prolonging his stay in power by appeasing fringe political parties instead of providing relief to the needy.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has chosen to induct four more cabinet ministers and  six ministers-of-state on a day when reports have surfaced of earthquake victims dying of cold-related illnesses for lack of proper housing and basic needs.


Oli's move comes two days after a fringe political party, CPN (Samyukta), withdrew its support from the government, accusing the ruling party of apathy toward resolving the political crisis and addressing the hardships of the general public.

In a bid to secure the support of small political parties, the prime minister has not only increased the number of ministers in his jumbo cabinet but also bifurcated various ministries against the recommendations of a government-formed high-level committee. As of Thursday, the total number of ministers in the Oli cabinet stands at 34.

The high-level committee last year recommended to the government not to increase the number of ministries at the central level to more than 16.

Oli was already been widely criticized for appointing six deputy prime ministers, which is a record in Nepal's history.

The prime minister's move also blatantly flouts the spirit of the new constitution, which has stated that there shall be no more than 25 ministers including the prime minister, ministers, ministers-of-state and assistant ministers.

Article 76 of the new constitution states that there shall be 25 ministers, to be appointed from among the members of parliaments based on the principle of inclusion.

The prime minister increased the number of ministers on the excuse that a provision under the transitional arrangements allows the prime minister to appoint ministers as necessary.

The newly appointed ministers are Deepak Bohara for Labor and Employment, Prem Bahadur Singh for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Eknath Dhakal (Without Portfolio) and Shivalal Thapa for Science and Technology.

In his bid to accommodate more fringe parties in his coalition government, Oli has bifurcated various ministries. The Ministry of Health and Population was split to form the Ministry of Population and Environment. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation was separated from the Ministry of Urban Development to form a new Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Oli has kept on increasing the number of ministers and ministries despite the fact that the country is undergoing a serious economic crisis due to the devastating April earthquake followed by the Indian economic blockade.

The previous government had announced that it would adopt austerity measures in view of this situation.

However, increasing the number of ministries and ministers will only add an unnecessary burden on state coffers at a time of crisis.

 News about the increase in number of ministries took former chief secretary Leelamani Paudyal by surprise. “Following the collapse of the buildings of various ministries, it was already a tough task adjusting the displaced ministries into spaces available at Singha Durbar,” said Paudyal. “The new decision will only add complications in identifying the jurisdiction and work divisions of the newly-formed ministries and act as a financial drain on the state without bringing any tangible benefit to the nation.”

Oli, however, does not seem to be bothered about bringing the much-needed National Reconstruction Authority into  play by appointing a chief executive officer (CEO) and other key officials to the body, let alone doing anything to relieve the plight of quake victims.

Until some time ago, ministers and other top officials used to claim that they couldn't do much to help the earthquake-affected because of non-cooperation by the other parties in endorsing the bill to form the Authority.

But one week has already passed since parliament passed the bill and the government hasn't yet appointed the key officials.

The government's failure to bring the Authority to life has also caused disappointment among the donor agencies that had pledged millions of dollars to support reconstruction and rehabilitation following the earthquake.

The government doesn't seem worried about the plight of the earthquake victims even as UNICEF and other national and international agencies have been warning of a humanitarian crisis following the advent of winter.

UNICEF recently said that more than three million children in Nepal  under the age of five are at risk of death or disease during the harsh winter months due to a severe shortage of fuel, food, medicines and vaccines.

Related story

RSP ministers vacate quarters despite continued support for gov...