Make inclusion a reality, not rhetoric

Previous governments excluded marginalised communities from vital roles. The new one must not.

When the Rastriya Swatantra Party came to power in March with a near two-thirds majority, Nepal, for the first time, saw roughly 35 percent women in the House of Representatives. Following this, Prime Minister Balendra Shah appointed six women ministers to his 17-member Cabinet. Even as ministers from the Khas-Arya dominate the ministry leadership, those from the Madheshi, Janajati and Dalit communities are also represented. For a country that has long struggled to place women in top leadership positions, the government’s move was historic and commendable. It also instilled hope that it would prioritise inclusivity in all vital appointments.