October 8: President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Friday expanded the Council of Ministers upon the recommendation of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. The newly expanded cabinet has 11 new faces.

The Council of Ministers headed by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba includes Bal Krishna Khand as Minister for Home Affairs, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki as Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Pampha Bhusal as Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, and Rajendra Prasad Shrestha as Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration.

Similarly, Birodh Khatiwada has been appointed as Minister for Health and Population while  Janardan Sharma continues his job as Finance Minister.    
Other faces in the Deuba-led cabinet are Dr Minendra Prasad Rijal, who has been assigned the Defence portfolio, Umakant Chaudhary (Water Supplies), Dr Narayan Khadka (Foreign Affairs), Renu Kumari Yadav (Physical Infrastructure and Transport), Prem Bahadur Ale (Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation), Dilendra Prasad Badu (Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs) and Devendra Poudel (Education, Science and Technology).    
Likewise, Mahendra Raya Yadav (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Uma Regmi (Women, Children and Senior Citizens), Shashi Shrestha (Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation), Ram Kumari Jhankri (Urban Development), Gajendra Bahadur Hamal (Industry, Commerce and Supplies), Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav (Forest and Environment), Krishna Kumar Shrestha (Labour, Employment and Social Security), Maheshwor Jung Gahatraj (Youth and Sports) have been inducted in the Council of Ministers.    
The newly appointed ministers took oath of office and secrecy amid a function organized at the President’s House on Friday (October 8) itself. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to them amid a special function

The government formed under the leadership of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has been expanded for the fourth time.    
A total of nine ministers including one state minister from NC, six ministers including one state minister from CPN (Maoist Centre), five ministers including one state minister from CPN (Unified Socialist), and four ministers from Janata Samajbadi Party are in the cabinet.  -- RSS