KATHMANDU, Sept 23: Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Monday expanded her interim cabinet, inducting four ministers from diverse professional backgrounds in a bid to accelerate governance and election preparations. President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath of office at a ceremony held at Sital Niwas.
The new appointments include innovator Mahabir Pun as Minister for Education, Science and Technology; climate and agriculture expert Madan Prasad Pariyar as Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development; veteran journalist Jagdish Kharel as Minister for Communication and Information Technology; and former Supreme Court Justice Anil Kumar Sinha, who will oversee three portfolios—Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation; and Industry, Commerce and Supplies.
The ceremony was attended by Vice President Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, National Assembly Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal, Speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire, and other senior officials.
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Pun, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner and head of the National Innovation Centre, called for ideas and proposals instead of congratulatory garlands. He announced the formation of four advisory committees on space technology, nuclear technology, biotechnology, and information technology, including artificial intelligence.
Pariyar, head of the Samata Foundation and a former coordinator of the state restructuring commission, pledged to prioritize farmers’ welfare. His first decision focused on resolving chronic fertilizer shortages to boost agricultural productivity.
Kharel, widely known for his hard-hitting interviews on Image Channel’s Hot Seat, vowed to expand digital access. He announced plans to roll out free Wi-Fi services in public spaces across 10 cities, including Kathmandu, within five months.
Sinha, who retired as justice in 2023 after delivering several landmark verdicts, including the reversal of then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s House dissolution in 2021, stressed the use of locally produced furniture in reconstruction projects. He also pledged employment opportunities for families of those killed and injured during the recent Gen Z protests.
These appointments follow earlier inductions of Rameshore Khanal as Finance Minister, Kulman Ghising as Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation as well as Physical Infrastructure, Transport and Urban Development, and Om Prakash Aryal as Home Minister.
Meanwhile, the nomination of Dr. Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra as Health Minister has been put on hold after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority confirmed she is under investigation in connection with alleged irregularities in health procurement.
Prime Minister Karki, Nepal’s first female premier, was appointed on September 12 following the Gen Z uprising. Her interim government’s primary mandate is to conduct parliamentary elections by March 5, 2026, and to restore stability in the wake of the nationwide protests.
