Nepal Ministers

Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (Until 2008 the Kingdom of Nepal/ Nepál alhirayya) (Female Suffrage 1947/51) A number of petty principalities were united in the middle of the 18th century as the Kingdom of Nepal

Also see Nepal Parliament and Nepal Heads

1959-61 Deputy Minister of Health and Local Government Dwarka Chand Thakumrani

1964-? Deputy Minister of Health Shusila Thapa
1975-77/79 Minister of Health

Circa 1982 Cabinet Member, State Minister for Labour and Social Welfare Bhadra Kumari Ghale

1990-91 Minister of Industry and Trade Sahana Pradhan
1996-97 Minister of Forests and Soil Conservation
1997 Minister of Women and Welfare
2007-08 Minister of Foreign Affairs (Third in Cabinet)
Leader of the Communist Party 1978-87, Leader of the Marxist NKP 1987-90, Leader of the United Left Front 1990-91, President of the united Marxist party UML 1991 and now member of the Executive Committee.  Widow of Pushpa Lal Shresta, leader of the Communists 1949-78 and her sister, Sadhana Adhikari, was also a communist leader. She lived (1927-2014).

1991-93 Minister of Agriculture and Forests Sailaja Acharya
1998 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Water Resources
Long-time member for the Nepali Congress Party Leadership among others a Vice-President until 1999. Nominated Ambassador to India in 2007, but this has been blocked by the Maoists. She is the niece of Girija Prasad Koirala who has been Prime Minister a number of times, latest from 2000. (b. 1944-)

1995-96 Minister of Women and Social Affairs Lila Koirala
1997 Minister of Women and Social Affairs

1997 Minister for Population and Environment Bidhya Devi Bhandari
2009-11 Defence Minister
2015- President of the Republic
Bidya has been Vice-president of the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist) 1998-2015. (b. 1961-)

1998-99 Minister of State of Women and Social Welfare Meena Pandey

1999-2001 State Minister for Women and Social Welfare Kamala Devi Pant (Achaya)
She was the only women among 19 Cabinet Ministers, 8 Ministers of State and 5 Assistant Ministers until 2001. The new cabinet was smaller but she was still the only female member of the government. Whip of the Nepali Congress from 2009.

2001-02 State Minister for Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare Sushila Swar

2002 Acting Assistant Minister of Women's Affairs and Social Welfare Anuradha Koirala
2002-03 State Minister for Women's Affairs, Children and Social Welfare
2003 Member of the Government Negotiating Team to Pursue Talks with the Maoists

2003-04 State Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Dr. Renu Yadav
2008-11 Minister of Education
The nomination of her and the 3 other ministers from the Madhesi People's Rights Forum caused protests from a majority of the Constituent Assembly-faction as the nomination has "failed to be inclusive in terms of caste, gender, religion and geographical areas". She only recently joined the party and had stated that she would not join the government.

2004-05 Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare Astha Laxmi Shakya
 2015 Designate Minister
Turned down the offer because of the portfolio she was proposed.

2004-05 State Minister for Science and Technology Pratibha Rana
A leading member of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader, and mother-in-law of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba

2004-05 Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Bhim Kumari Budha Magar

2005 Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Durga Shrestha
She was member of the 10-member technocrat cabinet that took over after the King deposed the parliamentary government and assumed Executive Powers.

2005-06 State Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yankila Sherpa

2005-06 State Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Dr. Durga Pokharel
The government which was appointed by the King as Chair of the Cabinet in December had a total of 35 members.

2006-07 State Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Urmila Aryal
2011 Minister of Local Government
2011-13 Minister of Local Development

2006 Appointed Minister of Water Resources Chitra Lekha Yadav
 2014-16 Minister of Education
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament 1999-2008, she refused to take up her appointment as Water Minister since the leaders of the 7-party coalition had not wanted her to continue as Speaker of the Parliament after she had been holding House sessions on the streets during the fight against autocracy and Acting Speaker since the Parliament was reinstated. Not elected to the Constituent Assembly in 2008.

2007 and 2007-08 Minister Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami
2008-09 Minister of Tourism and Civil Administration
A leading Maoist, she joined the unity government in July, resigned with the other Maoists in September, and rejoined the government in December after it was agreed to abolish the monarchy. Part of the multi-party government from 2008. (b. 1959-).

2007-08 Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare Pampha Bhusal
2008-11 Minister of General Administration
Among the 4 Maoists that joined the unity government on 31. December 2007 and reappointed to the Cabinet in 2008 as one of only two Maoist women of a total of 10 ministers from the party.

2007-08 State Minister for Health and Population Shashi Shrestha

2008 Minister without Portfolio Sujata Koirala
2009-11 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Spokesperson of the Nepalese Congress Party 2007-08. She failed to get elected to the Constuent Assembly in 2008 but the following year her father, Congress President and former Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, named her Foreign Minister and Leader of the Congress Party in the Government which is comprised by 2 women and 31 men.

2008 State Minister for Water Resources Maha Laxmi Aryal

2008-09 Minister of Industry Astha Laxmi Shakya
Vice-Presidential Candidate for Candidate for the Communist CPN (UML) in 2008. A female member of the party leadership resigned because Astha was the only female nominee among the party's 6 ministers in the government. A total of 4 women and 26 men were members of the government. 2009 the party withdrew from the government

2008 Minister of Land Reform and Management Sita Khadka
2014-15 Minister of Science and Technology

2009-11 State Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Karima Begum

2009-11 Assistant Minister of Physical Planning and Works Kalawoti Devi Dusandh

2011-13 State Minister for Education Radha Gyawali
2014-15 Minister of Energy
 2015-16 Minister of General Administration

2011-13 State Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Bhagawati Chaudhari

2011-13 State Minister for Physical Planning and Works Devi Khadka

2011-13 State Minister for Health and Population Dharmashila Chapagai

2013-14 Minister of Women, Children, Social Welfare and Land Rform Ridhni Baba Pradham

2014-15 Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare Neelam K.C.(Khadka)

2015 Minister Minister without Portfolio Shanta Manavi
 2015-16 Minister of Livestock Development

2015-16 Minister of General Administration Rekha Sharma

2015-16 State Minister for Local Development Kunti Kumari Shahir

2016- Minister of Peace and Reconstruction Sitadevi Yadav
Treasurer of the Nepali Congress Party from 2016.

2016- State Minister for Agricultural Development Radhika Tamang

2016- State Minister without Portfolio Dhana Maya Bika


Last update 22.08.16