The Ethnic Affairs Ministry has been included on the list of union government ministries submitted by the president-elect U Htin Kyaw at the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on March 17.
The ministry must be operated, in agreement with Pyidaungsu Hluttaw representatives, according to the law surrounding ethnic nationalities’ rights and protection, which was approved during the previous government term in February, 2015.
The NLD-led government will have only 18 ministers across 21 ministries. Although, there were 36 ministries during Thein Sein government term; 10 of the 36 ministries were later disbanded by the Thein Sein Government.
Out of the 26 ministries, 5 have been disbanded by the NLD government. These include the Cooperative Ministry, Mining Ministry, Train Transportation Ministry, Sport Ministry as well as the Science and Technical Ministry.
The remaining ministries that the U Htin Kyaw Government will merge are the Agricultural, Livestock and Irrigation Ministry, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Culture and Religion, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Electricity and Energy Ministry, Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, also the Ministry of Planning and Finance.
The 6 ministries within the Presidential Office that the previous Thein Sein Government operated, have now been reduced to one ministry.
