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Nepal Government Under Prime Ministership Of Balendra Shah Reduces Ministries To 18, Begins Renaming Merged Portfolios

A Nepali worker applies fresh paint over newly renamed merged ministries at Singha Durbar in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 16, 2026. This is part of an administrative restructuring plan aimed at improving efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and performance. A Cabinet meeting held on May 13 approved the Nepal Government (Work Division) Regulations, 2083 BS, which redefined the functional allocation of federal ministries. Under the new structure, the number of ministries has been reduced to 18, including the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, down from 22 earlier. Ministries such as Finance, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, and Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation have been retained. A separate Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation has been created by separating science and technology-related functions from the Ministry of Education. The government states that the new ministry aims to prioritize research, innovation, and technological development. Similarly, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Urban Development, and Water Supply have been merged to form a new Ministry of Infrastructure Development. The Ministry of Education has been renamed the Ministry of Education and Sports by incorporating the sports sector, while the Ministry of Labour has been expanded to include youth affairs and renamed the Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment. Likewise, the Ministry of Women and Children has been expanded to include gender and sexual minority issues along with social security, and will now operate as the Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities, and Social Security. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto)

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