KATHMANDU, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Friday expanded his cabinet by inducting two new ministers including the health minister, a press advisor to the prime minister said.
Kundan Aryal, the press advisor to the prime minister, told Xinhua that Upendra Yadav has been appointed as the deputy prime minister and minister in charge of health, while Mohammad Istiyak Rai became the minister for urban development.
The new ministers were administered oath of office by President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the President's Office in the capital amidst the presence of top authorities of the government.
With the induction of the two new ministers, the cabinet has now 24 members.
Yadav is the chairman of the Federal Socialist Forum Nepal (FSFN), the fourth largest party in the Federal Parliament of Nepal, which maintains a strong political base in the Province 2 of Madhes region.
Yadav served as the country's foreign minister in 2009 and 2011. Rai is also a leader of the FSFN, who joined the party a few years ago.
This is the fourth time the prime minister expanded his cabinet since he reached at the helm of the government on Feb. 15.
