Kathmandu: Four newly appointed ministers in the interim government led by Sushila Karki took oath of office and secrecy before President Ramchandra Paudel amidst a special ceremony held at the Office of the President, Shital Niwas today.
Anil Kumar Sinha was administered the oath of office as Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies. He will also look after the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.
Similarly, Mahabir Pun became the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, and Madan Kumar Pariyar the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development. Similarly, Jagdish Kharel, involved in broadcast journalism for over two decades, took the oath as the Minister for Communication and Information Technology.
They were administered the oath by President Paudel. Vice President Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Karki, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, Speaker Devraj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairperson Narayana Prasad Dahal, chiefs of constitutional bodies, government senior officials and chiefs and officials of the security agencies were present to witness the swearing-in ceremony.
The President, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Karki, appointed the new ministers on the respective posts. Minister Sinha is the former judge of the Supreme Court while Pun, the winner of the Magsaysay Award in 2007, is recognised for extending wireless internet service to remote areas of Nepal.
He presently serves as the Chief of the National Innovation Center. Pariyar is an agricultural expert. Karki who was appointed the 42nd Prime Minister and the first female Prime Minister of Nepal by President Paudel on September 12 following the Gen-Z demonstrations (September 8-9) that toppled the KP Sharma Oli-led government.
She had on September 15 inducted Rameshwor Khanal (Minister for Finance), Kulman Ghising (Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation as well as for Physical Infrastructure and Transport and for the Urban Development) and Om Prakash Aryal (Home Affairs) as the Cabinet Members. The responsibilities of the remaining ministries are taken by the Prime Minister herself. This interim government is mandated to conduct the election of the House of Representatives on March 5, 2026.