By Our Reporter 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, after holding a series of meetings with the CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli and leaders of other ruling parties, has expanded his Cabinet.

It took him seven days to expand the cabinet after he won the vote of confidence in the parliament on January 10.

Only on Tuesday, the Prime Minister expanded the Cabinet inducting one deputy prime minister, 11 ministers and three state ministers. Still, he has to add two ministers.

Rajendra Prasad Lingden, chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, was added as the fourth deputy prime minister to the 23-member cabinet.

DPM Lingden and 11 ministers took the oath of office and secrecy from President Bidya Devi Bhandari amidst a function in Sheetal Niwas while Prime Minister Prachanda administered the oath to three state ministers.

However, Water Supply Minister Abdul Khan of the Janamat Party did assume his office as the party was not happy with the portfolio given to it.

The CPN-UML got the highest eight ministries and CPN (Maoist Centre) got three ministries.

Similarly, Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party got three ministries. However, Janata Samajbadi Party did not join the government as it did not agree to accept only two ministries.

Likewise, Janamat Party was given a minister and the Maoist Centre Rashtriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party got one state minister each.

The Cabinet is as follows:

1. Pushpa Kamal Dahal of CPN (Maoist Center): Prime Minister
2. Bishnu Prasad Poudel of CPN-UML: Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister
3. Narayankaji Shrestha of CPN (Maoist Center): Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure
4. Rabi Lamichhane of Rastriya Swatantra Party: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs
5. Rajendra Lingden of Rastriya Prajatantra Party: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy
6. Hari Upreti of CPN-UML: Minister for Defence
7. Bimala Rai Paudel of CPN-UML: Minister for Foreign Affairs
8. Padam Giri of CPN-UML: Minister for Health
9. Bhagwati Chaudhary of CPN-UML: Minister for Women and Children
10. Jwala Kumari Sah of CPN-UML: Minister for Agriculture
11. Rajendra Rai of CPN-UML: Minister for Land Management and Cooperatives
12. Damodar Bhandari of CPN-UML: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supply
13. Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan of Rastriya Prajatantra Party: Minister for Law
14. Bikram Pandey of Rastriya Prajatantra Party: Minister for Urban Development
15. Deepak Singh of Rastriya Prajatantra Party: State Minister for Energy
16. Shishir Khanal of Rastriya Swatantra Party: Minister for Education
17. DP Aryal of Rastriya Swatantra Party: Minister for Labor and Employment
18. Toshima Karki of Rastriya Swatantra Party: State Minister for Health
19. Rekha Sharma of CPN (Maoist Center): Minister for Communications and Information Technology

Sudan Kiranti of CPN (Maoist Center): Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation

21. Aman Lal Modi of CPN (Maoist Center): Minister for Federal Affairs
22. Sushil Shreepali of CPN (Maoist Center): State Minister for Culture, Tourism
23. Abdul Khan of Janamat Party Minister for Water Supply

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