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Newly appointed Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Gauri Kumari Yadav and Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Ramji Yadav were administered oath of office and secrecy this evening.

President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath of office to the minister duo amidst a function at the Office of the President, Sheetal Niwas.

Present on the occasion were Vice President Ramsahay Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Balendra Shah, Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Dol Prasad Aryal, National Assembly Chair Narayan Prasad Dahal and other dignitaries.

Earlier today, President Paudel appointed Gauri Kumari Yadav as the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies and Ramji Yadav as the Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shah.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has directed airport offices across the country to upgrade four key passenger facilities within 24 hours to improve service quality.

According to a letter issued by Secretary Mukunda Prasad Niraula to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, airports must establish breastfeeding and baby-care rooms, priority care rooms for sick, elderly, and disabled passengers, and provide free sanitary pads.

The ministry has also instructed airports to strictly maintain cleanliness and hygiene standards, including a daily cleaning logbook system in line with World Health Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines.

Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle has launched an e-pension verification system, enabling pensioners to renew their pensions online.

The system, developed by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, was unveiled at a program held at the Ministry of Finance on Friday.

With the introduction of the online service, the long-standing hassle faced by around 350,000 pensioners has been eliminated. Pensioners will no longer need to go through the process of physical renewal or bank selection.

Officials also expect the move to reduce government expenditure on bank commissions to nearly zero. According to data, there are 352,816 pensioners under the scheme, including around 44,000 currently inactive.

Nepal’s Ambassador to Germany, Shail Rupakheti, has resigned from his post after months of controversy surrounding the government’s decision to recall ambassadors.

His resignation, submitted on Wednesday, was accepted by Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal on Thursday. The earlier decision by the Sushila Karki-led government to recall ambassadors from 11 countries had been challenged in the Supreme Court of Nepal, which ordered the move not to be implemented.

Following the court’s order, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had required the concerned ambassadors to report to the ministry instead of stepping down. 

In his resignation letter, Rupakheti said he respected the court’s directive and returned to Nepal to report to the ministry as instructed. He also stated that he had forfeited all salary and benefits for the period since leaving his diplomatic post abroad.