Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth is the richest minister in the KP Sharma Oli Cabinet, although major parts of his property is owned by his wife Juli Kumari Mahato.
Property details of Cabinet members posted on the PMO website show that the wife of PM Oli is richer than him. Not only Oli’s wife, spouses of ministers Ishwar Pokharel, Matrika Yadav, Ram Bahadur Thapa and Pradeep Kumar Gyawali are also richer than them.
Oli has Rs 4.2 million in his bank deposits, while all other properties, including a house built on one-and-a half ropanis in Suryabinayak Municipality of Bhaktapur, are in his wife Radhika Shakya’s name. She even has 17-18 tolas of gold.
The PM, who had Rs 7 lakh in his bank account two years ago, now has Rs 4.2 million, which means he added Rs 3.5 million in the last two years. The PM has stated salary allowance as the source of his bank deposit.
Minister Mahaseth’s wife Juli Kumari Mahato has two houses in Dhanusha, two ropanis and 13 anas in Lalitpur and one ropani and seven anas in Dhobighat of Kathmandu. The minister has Rs 7.2 million in bank deposits and 52 tola gold, besides some ancestral properties.
Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Prasad Adhikari, who has Rs 2.5 million in bank deposits, owns the highest amount of gold — 60 tolas —listed as ancestral property. He has 94 ropanis as ancestral property in Kaski district, besides five anas in Budhanilkantha Municipality, Kathmandu.
Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada has plots of land in Jhapa, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Dolakha districts worth Rs 10.49 million. He has 10 tola gold and one kg silver. He also owns a car.
Pramila Devi, wife of Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Yadav, owns more property than her husband. She has a plot of land worth Rs 10,500,000 in Chapagaun, Lalitpur. She also owns two plots of land in Siraha and Dhanusha worth Rs 4.5 million, 10 tola gold and a vehicle.
Defence Minister Ishwar Pokharel has 12 kattha ancestral land in Chandragadhi, Jhapa, and Rs 700,000 in his savings account. All other properties, including a house built on 23 anas in Tokha Municipality of Kathmandu and plots in Nagarkot and Dhading Khanikhola are in his wife’s name. She has taken a loan of Rs 3 million.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has taken Rs 1.5 million loan. Gyawali’s wife Saraswati Gyawali owns a house built in four anas in Kathmandu and its purchase price has been listed as Rs 2.1 million.
Minister of Labour and Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista has land in Kathmandu Metropolis in his wife Pratima Shrestha’s name which is worth four million rupees. He has some land in Gulmi, besides seven tola gold.
Minister of Women, Children and Senior Citizens Tham Maya Thapa Magar is the least wealthy among the Cabinet members with seven anas and one paisa land in her home district of Myagdi and one tola gold. She only has Rs 15,000 in her savings account.
Among the ministers having least property is Minister of Drinking Water Bina Thapa Magar, who has three kattha land in Chitwan- two kattha in the name of her late husband Prakash Dahal and one kattha in the name of her mother-in-law Sita Dahal. She also owns five tola gold and 16 tola silver.
Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has also listed two dogs gifted by his neighbours as his property. He only has Rs 20,000 in his savings account, while all other properties are owned by his wife and his party.
Thapa has a Chevrolet Tavera owned by the former UCPN-M.
Property details of Cabinet members
PM KP Sharma Oli
Defence Minister Ishwor Pokharel
Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa
Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali
Energy Minister Barsha Man Pun
Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel
Industry Minister Matrika Prasad Yadav
Infrastructure Minister Raghubir Mahaseth
Labour Minister Gokarna Bista
Forest Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet
Federal Affairs Minister Lal Babu Pandit
Women Minister Thammaya Thapa
Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada
Youth Minister Jagat Bahadur Sunar Bishwokarma
Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari
Law Minister Sher Bahadur Tamang
Agriculture Minister Chakrapani Khanal
Drinking Water Minister Bina Magar
A version of this article appears in print on May 24, 2018 of The Himalayan Times.