Kathmandu — The government has moved ahead with preparations to alter the structure of federal ministries and further centralize executive power. Under the proposed restructuring, the number of ministries at the federal level will be reduced and limited to 17, while some important bodies and areas of responsibility will be brought directly under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.

According to the government’s preparations, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration will be fully merged into the Prime Minister’s Office. Along with this, the plan is to keep responsibilities related to civil service administration, organizational reform, information technology, data and cyber security, as well as anti-money laundering, at the center. The Department of Money Laundering, which was previously under the Ministry of Finance, is also being prepared to be brought back under the Prime Minister’s Office.