Nepali Prime Minister inducts five new ministers into the cabinet

Nepal's Interim government head Sushila Karki on late Sunday evening recommended five new names to the president as ministers of the interim cabinet. The latest round of expansion comes in a week since her first expansion of the council of ministers which has four ministers including herself.

According to sources, the interim Prime Minister has recommended Anil Kumar Sinha, a former Supreme Court justice, to the portfolio of three ministries- the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply; Law and Justice; and Land Reforms, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.

Prime Minister Karki has recommended Mahabir Pun, Magsaysay award winner as the minister for education and science and technology and Madan Prasad Pariyar as agriculture minister while Jagdish Kharel, a media professional and the editor of Image Channels as the information and communications.

Likewise, Karki has recommended the name of Sangeeta Mishra as the health minister. Mishra was, until recently, an additional secretary at the health ministry.

Kharel is the head of news at Image Media Group. Senior climate and agriculture expert Pariyar serves as the president of Samata Foundation, a non-profit that works for social justice and inclusiveness. He previously coordinated the high-level state restructuring commission of the Constituent Assembly.

Pun, the winner of the Roman Magsaysay Award, has long been active in the development of science and research in Nepal. He currently leads the National Innovation Centre.

The three serving ministers in the Karki cabinet are: Rameshore Khanal (minister for finance), Kulman Ghising (minister for energy, water resources and irrigation) and Om Prakash Aryal (minister for home affairs).

Separately, two weeks after the Gen Z uprising, the interim government on Sunday constituted a high-level commission to probe the incidents of killing, arson and vandalism. The protests had turned violent, and caused a huge loss of lives and property.