With the latest expansion, Oli's cabinet has now 24 members including prime minister and additional two state ministers. The government has now six deputy prime ministers (DPM), the highest numbers of DPMs appointed in any government so far.Seven ministers, including three DPMs were appointed and later sworn in by the president on Thursday afternoon at Shital Niwas.
Bhim Rawal of CPN-UML, Chandra Prakash Mainali of CPN-ML and Chitra Bahadur KC of Rastriya Janamorcha were added to the lot of earlier appointed three DPMs.
Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar of Madheshi People's Right Forum Democratic (MPRF-D), Kamal Thapa of Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (RPP-N) and Top Bahadur Rayamajhi of UCPN (Maoist) have already been serving as DPM in the Oli cabinet.
Out of seven newly-appointed ministers on Thrusday, DPM Rawal is minister for defense, DPM Mainali is minister for women children and social welfare and DPM KC heads the ministry of cooperatives and poverty alleviation.
UML's Bishnu Paudel has been appointed as the finance minister, Sherdhan Rai as information and communication minister, Ananda Pokhrel as culture, tourism and civil aviation minister and Shanta Manabi as minister without portfolio.
Likewise, Prime Minister Oli on Thursday also allocated ministries for the four ministers who were earlier appointed as ministers without portfolios. Satya Narayan Mandal of UML has got Ministry of Sports, Ram Kumar Subba of RPP-N the Ministry of Land Reforms, Ramjanam Chaudhari of MPRF-D is Minister for Health and Biswendra Paswal of Bahujan Shakti Party is Minister for Science.
With the latest expansion, the cabinet has nine ministers from the CPN-UML including the prime minister, eight from UCPN (Maoist), two each from RPP-N and MPRF-D and one each from CPN-ML, Rastriya Janamorcha and Bahujan Shakti Party.
Though Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party voted for this coalition at the time of election, they have so far not joined the government. Oli is yet to appoint ministers for Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, Local Development and Federal Affairs, Labor and Employment and Urban Development.
According to Pramod Dahal, press advisor to the prime minister, CPN-ML and RPP-N have planned to recommend ministers of state from the parties on Friday.
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