Kathmandu: A major milestone has been achieved in Nepal’s federal governance as the newly formed 15-member cabinet under Prime Minister Balendra Shah has ensured 33 percent representation of women for the first time.
In this cabinet, five women Members of Parliament have been appointed as ministers, marking a historic step toward inclusive governance. Previous federal cabinets, despite constitutional provisions, had not been able to meet the one-third requirement for women’s participation.
The women ministers represent both proportional and directly elected categories. Sita Badi has been assigned the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, while Sobita Gautam serves as Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs. Pratibha Rawal has taken charge of General Administration, Nisha Mehta leads the Ministry of Health and Population, and Geeta Chaudhary heads the Ministry of Agriculture.
This development fulfills the mandate outlined in the Constitution of Nepal. Article 38(4) requires the state to ensure women’s participation in all state bodies based on proportional and inclusive principles, effectively making one-third representation mandatory. Likewise, Article 84(2) guarantees at least 33 percent female representation in the House of Representatives, and Article 176 mandates the same proportion in provincial assemblies. Although these constitutional provisions have long been in place, their full implementation at the federal executive level had remained unmet—until now.
