KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Balendra Shah has prepared a proposal to restructure the federal government by reducing the number of ministries from 25 to 17.
According to officials at the Prime Minister’s Office, the plan involves merging and reorganizing several existing ministries, with eight ministries set to be scrapped or integrated into other portfolios.
Under the proposed structure, some ministries will be consolidated into broader sectors. For instance, a unified infrastructure ministry will combine responsibilities related to physical infrastructure, urban development, and water supply and sanitation.
Similarly, the government is preparing to integrate areas such as social security, women, children, and gender and sexual minority affairs under a single ministry. Health will also be expanded to include food safety functions, while education and sports are planned to be merged.
Sources at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said ministries including Youth and Sports, Urban Development, Water Supply and Sanitation, and Federal Affairs and General Administration are among those likely to be dissolved or merged under the new structure.
The draft restructuring plan also proposes the creation of new or redefined ministries such as Youth and Employment, Integrated Infrastructure, and Industry, Commerce and Innovation.
Other proposed ministries include Finance, Home, Foreign Affairs, Law and Justice, Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy and Water Resources, Forest and Environment, Culture and Tourism, Communication, Defence, and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
The proposed restructuring is expected to be presented to the Cabinet for approval in the coming days, according to officials.
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