Lumbini Chief Minister Leela Giri on Saturday night expanded his Cabinet, inducting seven new ministers, a month after taking charge of the office.

On the recommendation of Chief Minister Giri, Province Head Amik Sherchan has appointed the ministers and divided their portfolios in the existing council of ministers as per Article 168 (9) of the Constitution, reads a statement issued by Rishiram Panthi, the spokesperson of the office of the province head.

According to the province head office, CPN (Maoist Centre)’s provincial assembly member Jokh Bahadur Mahara has been appointed the minister for economic affairs; Maoist Centre’s Indrajit Tharu the minister for physical infrastructure development and UML’s Bishnu Prasad Panthi and Durga Prasad Chaudhary the health minister and the minister for forest and environment respectively.

Likewise, Janaki Prasad Yadav and Tulasiram Sharma of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party have been appointed the minister for industry, tourism and transport management and the minister for agriculture and land management respectively.

Chandrakesh Gupta of the Janamat Party has been appointed the minister for social development.

The chief minister also assigned the water supply, rural and urban development portfolio to UML’s Chet Narayan Acharya and the internal affairs, law and cooperatives portfolio to Maoist Centre’s Krishna KC.

The newly-appointed ministers will take an oath of office and secrecy at 1pm on Sunday.