Lumbini Province Restructures Ministries, Reduces Government to Nine Offices

Dang, July 30 — The Lumbini Provincial Government has approved a major restructuring of its ministries to improve administrative efficiency and streamline government operations. Under the new structure, the province will now have the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers along with eight ministries, reducing the total number of government offices to nine.

The decision was made during a Provincial Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya on Wednesday. The Cabinet endorsed the "Provincial Government (Division of Work) Regulations, 2083," introducing a new administrative framework.

According to Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development Ratna Bahadur Khatri, the province has reorganized its government structure, which previously operated through 12 ministries, by merging several ministries and redistributing their responsibilities.

Under the new arrangement, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been merged into the Ministry of Social Development. The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Transport has been dissolved, with the Industry and Transport portfolios transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law.

Similarly, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has been merged with the Ministry of Urban Development. The tourism sector has been added to the Ministry of Forests and Environment, which has been renamed the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Tourism.

The provincial government said the restructuring aims to reduce administrative costs, improve efficiency, and strengthen public service delivery.

The Cabinet also approved the permanent appointment of two senior officers of the Provincial Agriculture Service based on the recommendation of the Public Service Commission.

Under the decision, Ram Prasad Pandey has been appointed Director General of the Directorate of Agricultural Development in Rupandehi, while Bhaskar Poudel has been appointed Director General of the Directorate of Livestock and Fisheries Development, also in Rupandehi, Minister Khatri said.