Ninety-two percent of people appointed through Cabinet decisions under the single-party government led by Prime Minister Balen Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) are men, according to data released by the government.
Sita Thapaliya (Urmila), a lawmaker from the main opposition Nepali Congress in the House of Representatives, had sought details of appointments made by the Cabinet since Shah became prime minister.
According to the details sent to Thapaliya by the Prime Minister’s Office through the Federal Parliament Secretariat, 63 people have so far been appointed through 43 Cabinet decisions.
The appointment details obtained by Setopati cover appointments made between March 27 and August 21. In other words, the data provided to Thapaliya covers appointments made over nearly five months since March.
The details, sent by Prime Minister's Office Secretary Birendra Kumar Yadav, show that 58 of the 63 appointees are men.
That means men account for 92.06 percent of all appointees.
Only five women have been appointed through Cabinet decisions, accounting for just 7.94 percent.
Nepal's Constitution prioritizes the principle of inclusion and envisions at least 33 percent representation of women in every organ of the state. However, the number of women appointed by the government is significantly lower.
According to the details, the women appointed are Reshu Aryal, member of the National Planning Commission; Rehana Shrestha, member of the Land Problem Resolution Commission; Yanki Ukyab, chief executive officer of the Investment Board Nepal; and Parbati Bista, registrar of the Nepal Nursing Council.
An analysis of the Cabinet appointment data shows that the Khas-Arya community accounts for the largest share of appointees.
Of the 63 appointees, 41 are from the Khas-Arya community, accounting for about 65 percent of the total.
Indigenous nationalities account for 27 percent, Madheshis 5 percent, Muslims 2 percent, and the Marwari community 2 percent. The combined representation of Brahmin/Chhetri and Newar communities among the appointees is above 90 percent.
The Cabinet has not appointed a single Dalit so far, despite Dalits making up around 13 percent of Nepal's population.
Most of those appointed by the Cabinet are from the Kathmandu Valley.
Among the 57 appointees whose addresses were provided, 35 percent listed districts in the Kathmandu Valley as their address.
No one from Karnali province has been appointed through a Cabinet decision. In other words, up to August 21, the Balen Shah-led government had not appointed anyone from Karnali through a Cabinet decision.
Lawmaker Sita Thapaliya
Lawmaker Thapaliya had sought details of appointments made by the Cabinet after the government was formed on March 27, including appointments to ministries, government bodies, commissions, authorities, departments, universities, and secretariats.
She had specifically requested the names, addresses, appointing bodies, gender identities, and types of appointments of those appointed through Cabinet decisions.
However, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has provided an incomplete response. The details do not include information such as the type of appointment or gender identity.
Thapaliya, who had sought the information through a written parliamentary question, said that the performance and approach of the new government – which came to power by repeatedly questioning the old political parties and their leadership – did not appear satisfactory.
“Looking at the data on the government's recent appointments is deeply embarrassing,” Thapaliya said. “Most of those appointed are men. On top of that, representation of Dalits and Karnali is zero.”
She urged the government not to limit its commitment to inclusion and equality to speeches.
“Inclusion must be reflected in every decision and appointment made by the state,” Thapaliya said. “The speed and approach of the new government, which came to power by repeatedly questioning the old parties for ruining everything, have once again raised questions.”
She said that people had expected the government formed after the Gen Z movement to have a different mindset and approach, but that expectation had turned out to be an illusion.
“Apparently, having new faces does not necessarily mean having new tendencies,” Thapaliya said. “People wanted change, not a continuation of the old mindset and old forms of discrimination. That is the main thing the government needs to understand.”
