Seven newly appointed ministers of Lumbini Province took the oath of office and secrecy on Sunday.

Province head Amik Sherchan administered the oath to the ministers at the provincial capital Deukhuri in Dang.

The provincial government now has a 10-member cabinet including Chief Minister Leela Giri, five ministers from the CPN-UML, three ministers from CPN (Maoist Centre) and one each from two other parties.

Maoist Centre assembly party leader Jokh Bahadur Mahara was sworn in as Minister of Economic Affairs and Indrajit Tharu as Minister of Physical Infrastructure Development.

From the UML, Bishnu Panthi has taken oath as the Health Minister, Durga Prasad Chaudhary as Minister for Forest and Environment, and Tulsi Ram Sharma as Minister for Agriculture and Land Management.

Likewise, Janamat Party’s Chandrakesh Gupta has been sworn in as Minister of Social Development and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Janki Prasad Yadav as Minister for Industry, Tourism and Transport.

Responsibilities have also been assigned to two ministers who were appointed without portfolios on January 12. UML deputy assembly leader Chetnarayan Acharya has been appointed the Minister of Water Supply, Rural and Urban Development, and Krishna KC of Maoist Centre the Minister of Internal Affairs, Law and Telecommunications.

KC had on Saturday resigned as minister without a portfolio. She was not present during Sunday’s swearing-in ceremony. The ministerial portfolio was assigned to KC as her resignation has not been accepted.

Three parties that gave the vote of confidence to the Lumbini government—Nagarik Unmukti, Janata Samajbadi and Loktantrik Samajbadi—will not be a part of the government.

Chief Minister Giri gave the cabinet a full shape exactly a month after taking the oath on January 12.