KATHMANDU: Chief Minister Krishna Chandra Nepali Pokharel has expanded the Council of Minister in Gandaki Province Friday.

Chief of Gandaki Province Sita Kumari Poudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to six newly-appointed ministers.

Nepali Congress’ Bindu Kumar Thapa was sworn in as Minister of Internal Affairs and Law, Meshlal Shrestha as Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Social Development and Mani Bhadra Sharma as the Minister of Tourism, Industry, Commerce and Supplies.

From the Maoist Center Ramji Baral took oath as the Minister of Finance, Deepak Gharti Magar Thapa as the Minister of Forest, Environment and Soil Conservation and Chandra Bahadur Budha as the Minister of Land Management, Agricultural Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.

Similarly, Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed ministers saying that the agreement reached with them was violated.

Earlier, Gandaki had four ministers: Minister of Physical Infrastructure, Urban Development and Transport Kumar Khadka, Youth and Sports Minister Rajiv Gurung (Deepak Manange), Health and Population Minister Madhu Maya Adhikari and Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hari Sharan Acharya.