Madhes to reduce ministries to nine from July end

By Ajay Shah, Mahottari, July 19: The Madhes Province government will reduce the number of ministries to nine from July 31 as part of a cabinet restructuring agreed by the ruling coalition. The restructuring will also lead to a reshuffle of ministerial portfolios.

Under the agreement among the coalition partners, the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML will each hold three ministries, while the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) will be allocated two. 

Including the Chief Minister, the provincial government will comprise nine ministries. At present, each of the three coalition partners holds four ministerial portfolios.

Chief Minister and NC Madhes Province president Krishna Yadav said discussions among the coalition partners on reducing the number of ministries were continuing. 

He said a cabinet reshuffle would be inevitable once the restructuring takes effect, but decisions on individual ministers would be made only after consultations within the respective parties.

He dismissed speculation that all NC ministers would be replaced, saying changes would be made only where necessary.

The CPN-UML is also preparing to recall one of its ministers following the reduction in ministries. 

UML parliamentary party leader Saroj Kumar Yadav said the party would have to withdraw one minister and that the decision would be based primarily on performance.

‘Once the number of ministries is reduced, one UML minister will have to step down. The decision will be made after evaluating ministers’ performance,” he said.

Similarly, under the coalition agreement, the NCP will retain only two ministries, meaning two of its current ministers will have to leave the government.

NCP parliamentary party leader and Finance Minister Yubaraj Bhattarai said the coalition partners had agreed from the outset that the NC and UML would each receive three ministries while the NCP would receive two, and that the agreement was now being implemented.

He added that no final decision had yet been made on which ministers would remain in the cabinet. 

Further discussions would take place after the party’s central coordinator, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, returns to Nepal.

Earlier, uncertainty over the future of the NC-UML alliance at the national level had raised concerns that the coalition government in Madhes Province might also collapse. 

However, provincial leaders of the coalition parties reportedly urged the central leadership not to allow political developments in other provinces to affect Madhes, as a result an agreement to continue the existing coalition government.

 Lumbini to follow suit

Meanwhile, our Bhairahawa correspondent adds: Lumbini Province government is in the final stage of preparations to reduce the number of ministries from 12 to eight as part of its efforts to cut administrative costs and promote a more efficient system of governance.

Following a Cabinet decision on May 15 to reduce the number of ministries, the government has completed the necessary administrative and technical preparations. Officials say the restructuring will be implemented as soon as political consensus is reached.

The proposal to reduce the number of ministries was also included as a priority in the province’s policy and programme for the fiscal year 2026/27.

To implement the decision, an Organisation and Management (O&M) Survey Committee, headed by Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Kapri, was formed to study the restructuring.

Shambhu Prasad Marasini, Secretary at the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, said the committee had completed the required study, analysis and administrative framework for restructuring.

According to him, since the decision is linked to political consensus, it can be implemented immediately once the coalition partners reach an agreement.

“The committee has completed its responsibilities, and all administrative preparations for the restructuring have been finalised. The implementation process will begin as soon as political consensus is reached,” Marasini said.

Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya said the government had planned to implement the decision from July 17, but recent political developments had delayed the process.

He said additional time was needed to ensure political consensus amid possible changes in the ruling coalition.

“We are fully prepared. Once political consensus is reached, the restructuring of the ministries will be implemented. We are committed to completing the process within this month,” Acharya said.

He said reducing the number of ministries was necessary to control administrative expenditure, promote fiscal discipline and strengthen good governance.

According to the Chief Minister, the province’s administrative costs have continued to rise despite its limited revenue base, making the restructuring an important reform measure.

He warned that failure to implement the restructuring effectively would not only increase the province’s financial burden but could also weaken public confidence in the federal system of governance.