Deepak Karki of the Janata Samajbadi Party on Monday was sworn in as a state minister.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal administered the oath of office and secrecy to Karki at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Singha Durbar.

Karki has been assigned the state minister’s role at the Ministry of Forests and Environment.

According to the Office of the President, the Head of State has assigned the responsibility for the Minister of State in the existing Council of Ministers in accordance with Article 76 (9) of the Constitution.

On March 10, Kishor Sah Sudi of the same party was inducted into the Cabinet as Minister for Forests and Environment.

With Karki’s induction the number of members in the Dahal Cabinet has reached 23–including 22 ministers and one minister of state. The Constitution of Nepal states that the prime minister can “constitute the Council of Ministers comprising a maximum of twenty five Ministers including the Prime Minister, in accordance with the inclusive principle, from amongst the members of the Federal Parliament.”