KATHMANDU: In the newly formed 15-member cabinet led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen), five women MPs have been appointed as ministers for the first time.
Despite state guarantees, previous federal cabinets had never achieved 33 percent female representation. With this new cabinet, Prime Minister Shah has ensured that the constitutional provision of one-third women participation is met for the first time.
Women ministers have been appointed from both proportional and direct election categories. Sita Badi has been appointed Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, Sobita Gautam is the Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, Pratibha Rawal has taken charge as Minister for General Administration, Nisha Mehta has been named Minister for Health and Population, and Geeta Chaudhary leads the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to Article 38(4) of the Constitution, the state must ensure women’s participation in all organs on the basis of proportional and inclusive principles, making 33 percent participation mandatory. Similarly, Article 84(2) guarantees at least one-third female representation in the House of Representatives, while Article 176 requires 33 percent women’s representation in provincial assemblies. Previous practices, however, had failed to fully implement these constitutional provisions at the federal level until now.
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