IANS
Kathmandu
Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli has expanded his cabinet by inducting nine new ministers.
President Ram Baran Yadav administered the oaths of office and secrecy to the new ministers at a function held at Presidential Office in Sheetal Niwas in the capital Kathmandu, Xinhua reported.
According to the President’s Office, UCPN (Maoist) leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi was appointed deputy prime minister and allocated charge of energy department, while Shakti Basnet, also of the UCPN (Maoist), was named minister for home affairs.
Giriraj Mani Pokharel (UCPN-Maoist) was given education while Agni Sapkota, also of the UCPN (Maoist), was named
forest minister.
Umesh Yadav (CPN-UML) was allotted the irrigation ministry, Rekha Sharma (UCPN-Maoist) general administration and Ganesh Man Pun (also UCPN-Maoist) commerce and supplies.
Prime Minister Oli also inducted Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic (MJF-D) leader Ram Janam Chaudhary and Bahujan Samajwadi Party leader Biswendra Paswan as new ministers.
With the appointment of the nine ministers, the number of ministers
in Oli’s cabinet has risen to 17.
INDIA TO EASE FUEL SUPPLIES: India has assured fuel-crisis hit Nepal of increased supplies of essential goods, Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa said yesterday after holding talks with India’s top leadership in New Delhi.
Thapa, who is also the foreign minister, returned home yesterday after a three-day visit to India, during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Thapa said that the Indian leaders promised that fuel trucks lined up at a border crossing would be rerouted and more fuel would be supplied through other border points where there are no protests, to ease the supply of fuel to Nepal, according to a
media report.
“The Indian leaders have assured me that there will be no obstructions of the flow of trucks to Nepal from the points that are not blocked, fuel supply will be improved, and trucks that were stuck would be rerouted,” Thapa said.
