Former Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director Kulman Ghising has entered Singha Durbar as a minister in the interim government, taking responsibility for three of the country’s most influential ministries.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki has assigned him the portfolios of Energy, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development. He was sworn in on Monday by President Ram Chandra Paudel.
The three ministries command the largest share of capital expenditure and are central to major development works. Ghising will oversee large hydropower projects, the East–West Highway and its feeder roads, urban development in the Kathmandu Valley, and the construction of government buildings.
Ghising rose to prominence in 2016 when, as NEA chief, he ended years of power cuts and became widely credited with eliminating load-shedding. He served nearly seven and a half years at the authority across two terms, though his second tenure was seen as less impactful than his first.
Now in government, Ghising faces wider political, administrative, and policy challenges. In energy, he must accelerate power generation, expand transmission lines, and resolve diplomatic hurdles for electricity exports to India and Bangladesh. In infrastructure, he is tasked with reviving stalled national pride projects, improving contract processes, and ensuring timely spending. Urban development priorities include addressing unplanned growth, upgrading state housing, and restoring government properties, including parts of Singha Durbar recently damaged during protests.
Observers say Ghising’s new role is his “real test.” While his track record at the NEA earned him the image of a problem-solver, he now has to prove his ability to manage political coordination, policy-making, and long-term planning in ministries that directly shape Nepal’s development path.