KATHMANDU, Oct 26: Two newly appointed ministers in Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s cabinet took the oath of office and secrecy at a special ceremony held at the President’s Office, Sheetal Niwas, on Sunday.
President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath following the recommendation of the prime minister. Dr. Sudha Sharma Gautam has assumed the role of Minister for Health and Population, while Bablu Gupta has taken charge as Minister for Youth and Sports.
Sudurpaschim CM to take oath of office and secrecy today
Dr. Sharma, an obstetrician-gynaecologist, is a former health secretary who served from 2008 to 2011. Gupta is a social activist and founder of the charitable organisation 100 Group, which is actively involved in community welfare initiatives.
Alongside them, Ganapati Lal Shrestha and Khagendra Sunar, who had also been recommended for cabinet appointments, were later deferred from the ceremony. Shrestha, a well-known heritage conservation activist, had been nominated as Minister for Land Management, while Sunar had been proposed as Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security.
Sunar’s swearing-in was halted at the last minute after it came to light that he faced multiple pending criminal cases, sparking widespread criticism. His name was subsequently removed from the oath list on the prime minister’s instruction.
