Koshi Province Chief Minister Hikmat Karki has expanded his cabinet for the second time on Friday.
Karki appointed five ministers (including three from CPN (UML) and two from CPN (Maoist Center) and two state ministers – one each from UML and Maoist Center today.
With this, the cabinet of Koshi Province has now become a 10-member cabinet including the Chief Minister.
The newly elected five ministers –Lilaballav Adhikari, Ekraj Karki and Panchkarna Rai from UML, Rajendra Karki and Narayan Burja Magar from Maoist Center) -- and two state ministers -- Sirjana Rai (UML) and Bandana Jhangad (Maoist Center) took the oath of office and secrecy at the Office of the Province Chief this afternoon. Province Chief Parshuram Khapung administered the oath to the newly appointed ministers while the state ministers took the oath from Chief Minister Karki.
In the cabinet led by Karki, Ram Bahadur Magar is the Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning, Ganesh Upreti (Minister for Infrastructure Development, Lilaballav Adhikari (Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, while Rajendra Karki heads the Ministry of Health.
Similarly, Ekraj Karki is the Minister for Water Supplies, Irrigation and Energy, Panchkarna Rai (Minister for Social Development), Chief Minister Karki (Minister for Industry, Agriculture and Cooperatives), and Narayan Burja Magar is the Minister for Tourism, Forest and Environment).
State Minister Sirjana Rai has been appointed to the Office of the Chief Minister while Bandana Jhangad has been appointed as the Minister of State for Tourism, Forest and Environment.
Karki was appointed as the Chief Minister of Koshi Province on May 9 in line with Article 168 (5) of the Constitution of Nepal took the vote of confidence on May 13.
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