Four new ministers inducted into Karki cabinet

President Ram Chandra Paudel has appointed four new ministers to the interim Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki, expanding the cabinet to 14 members.

The President administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed ministers at a ceremony held at Sheetal Niwas on December 12.

PM Karki recommended Prof Dr Kumar Ingnam for Land Management, Rajendra Singh Bhandari for Labour, Madhav Chaulagain for Forests and Environment, and Shradha Shrestha for Women, Children and Senior Citizens.

Ingnam, an advocate and instructor at Kathmandu School of Law known for publications including “An Introduction to World Trade Organization” and “Roman Law,” now heads the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.

Bhandari, a retired Additional Inspector General of Nepal Police and former chief of the Crime Investigation Bureau, has assumed leadership of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security.

Chaulagain, a writer, researcher and public health expert, and author of the non-fiction book ‘Sapadalakshya Karnali’, has been appointed Minister for Forests and Environment.

Shrestha, a senior manager at the Nepal Tourism Board and National Project Coordinator for the Sustainable Tourism Project, has taken charge of the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens.

Additionally, Industry and Law Minister Anil Kumar Sinha, who earlier held the land management portfolio, has been assigned the culture, tourism and civil aviation ministry.

The fourth expansion comes despite Karki’s earlier commitment, in an interview with BBC Nepali published online on September 16, to limit her cabinet size to no more than 11 members.

Meanwhile, 10 members of the cabinet, including the prime minister, have submitted their property details to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. However, the details have not been made public. While submission is mandatory, existing law does not mandate disclosure of property details to the public, limiting external scrutiny and accountability.

Critics argue that the Karki government, apart from focusing on its main task of conducting elections, should have taken this opportunity to send a strong message of transparency and differentiate itself from previous administrations, especially amid widespread concerns over corruption in the country.

By publicly sharing these declarations, the government could have reinforced its commitment to integrity and addressed public expectations of transparency and accountability.