- Sunday, 19 April 2026
Kathmandu, April 19: The government has refuted the rumours that it has established a private mobile phone system among the ministers.
Government ministers and Asim Shah, political advisor to Prime Minister Balendra Shah, have made it clear that no separate mobile phone numbers and SIM cards have been managed for them.
As Shah said, official structures are enough to coordinate with the government. He added that there is no need for an extra mobile phone sets or SIM cards to maintain privacy among them.
Such rumours are false. “The Prime Minister is available at the office from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on a regular basis. If it is necessary, he calls the ministers for direct interaction,” Shah said, adding that security and privacy protocols have been implemented within the office.
According to him, the communication system among the government and ministers is being implemented via the Cabinet, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and secretariats. Government Spokesperson and Minister for Education, Science and Technology Sasmit Pokharel said no decision has been taken to establish a ‘private’ communications channel in the government.
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said that rumours on distribution of additional phone sets and SIM card to the ministers was fabricated and added that it was not right to spread wrong information to the people. Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dr Bikram Timilsina said the ministers were using their personal phone sets.
“I am not aware of who wrote this imaginative story. The additional phone given to us is baseless. There is nothing as such where ministers are given phone sets and SIM card from the state coffers,” the Minister for Communications and Information Technology added.
Likewise, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Sunil Lamsal also termed the report as fake and added that wrong information should not be spread in the name of journalism. Similarly, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam urged not to disseminate such wrong information.
Minister for Energy Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Pratibha Rawal said that they were not aware of such decision. “We use our own (phone) number and establish contact with the Prime Minister. We don’t need a separate SIM card,” Rawal added. — Nepal
