Bir Bahadur Shahi appointed as Forest and Environment Minister of Karnali Province

SURKHET, August 14: Bir Bahadur Shahi has been appointed the Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment of Karnali Province. CPN-Maoist Center MP Shahi, elected from Dolpa, took the oath of office and secrecy on Sunday.

Chief Minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi had recommended to the Provincial Chief Tilak Pariyar for the appointment, reshuffle and division of duties in the existing Council of Ministers in accordance with Article 168 (9) of the Constitution of Nepal.

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Last Wednesday, the high court sent a notice to the provincial head and the chief minister and ordered the cabinet to be formed on the basis of inclusive principles. After the court's letter, the cabinet expansion was stopped for a few days. However, after the Maoist Center took a stand not to send another person to the cabinet, the province chief Pariyar administered the oath to Shahi.

After the former Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi resigned, Jeevan Bahadur shahi of the Nepali Congress became the new Chief Minister on October 30 last year. Lawyers Sher Bahadur Khatri and Tika Bista filed a petition at the Surkhet High Court last January saying that there was no participation of women in the eight-member cabinet made up of the Nepali Congress along with Maoist Center and the Unified Socialist.

The decision made by the High Court had drawn the attention of the Governor of Karnali Province and the Chief Minister of Karnali Province to be sensitive and carry out their constitutional duties and responsibilities on the basis of the principle of inclusiveness while forming the Cabinet. 

In the attention-drawing letter submitted by the High Court Surkhet to the provincial governor and chief minister, it is mentioned that the  governor and chief minister of Karnali Province did not pay proper attention to the issue of ensuring appropriate representation of all classes, genders, ethnicity and regions and were insensitive to whether the meaning and spirit of the constitution was followed while forming the Cabinet.