{{short description|Nepali politician and technocrat}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Kulman Ghising | native_name = {{nobold|कुलमान घिसिङ}} | native_name_lang = ne | image = | party = Ujyaalo Nepal Party | caption = | office1 = Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation of Nepal | term_start1 = 15 September 2025 | term_end1 = 7 January 2026 | president1 = Ram Chandra Poudel | prime_minister1 = Sushila Karki | predecessor1 = Deepak Khadka | successor1 = Anil Kumar Sinha | office2 = Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport of Nepal | term_start2 = 15 September 2025 | term_end2 = 7 January 2026 | president2 = <!--Please stop linking his name-->Ram Chandra Poudel<!--Please stop linking--> | prime_minister2 = <!--Please stop linking his name-->Sushila Karki<!--Please stop linking--> | predecessor2 = Devendra Dahal | successor2 = Madhav Chaulagain | office3 = Minister of Urban Development of Nepal | term_start3 = 15 September 2025 | term_end3 = 7 January 2026 | president3 = <!--Please stop linking his name-->Ram Chandra Poudel<!--Please stop linking--> | prime_minister3 = <!--Please stop linking his name-->Sushila Karki<!--Please stop linking--> | predecessor3 = Prakash Man Singh | successor3 = Kumar Ingnam | office4 = Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority | term_start4 = 11 August 2021 | term_end4 = 25 March 2025 | president4 = Bidya Devi Bhandari<br/> Ram Chandra Poudel | prime_minister4 = Sher Bahadur Deuba<br/>Pushpa Kamal Dahal | predecessor4 = Hitendra Dev Shakya | successor4 = Hitendra Dev Shakya | term_start5 = 14 September 2016 | term_end5 = 16 September 2020 | president5 = Bidhya Devi Bhandari | prime_minister5 = KP Sharma Oli | predecessor5 = Mukesh Raj Kafle | successor5 = Lekhnath Koirala (acting) | birth_name = Kulman Ghising | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|11|25}} | birth_place = Bethan, Ramechhap, Nepal | father = Kripa Singh Ghising | spouse = Deepa Tamang | alma_mater = National Institute of Technology (BE)<br/>Tribhuvan University (ME)<br/> Pokhara University (MBA) | profession = {{hlist|Politician|Electrical engineer}} | nickname = | known_for = Ending load-shedding in Nepal }}
'''Kulman Ghising''' ({{langx|ne|कुलमान घिसिङ}}, {{IPA|ne|ˈkulman ˈɡʱisiŋ|pron}}) is a Nepalese engineer, technocrat, politician, and chairman of Ujyaalo Nepal Party.<ref>{{Cite web |author=मनोज सत्याल |title=राजनीतिमा होमिएका कुलमान कहाँबाट उठ्लान् चुनाव– रामेछाप कि काठमाडौं? |url=https://www.setopati.com/politics/374135/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Setopati |language=en-US}}</ref> Ghising served as minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation along with Urban Development and Physical Infrastructure and Transport in interim cabinet formed after 2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kulman Ghising–Nepal's light man–takes helm of Energy and Infrastructure min |url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/kulman-ghising-nepals-light-man-takes-helm-of-energy-and-infrastructure-min-42-66.html |work=myRepublica |date=2025-09-15 |language=en |access-date=2026-01-11 }}</ref>
He has served as managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority for a decade, during his tenure the country's long-standing load-shedding (power outage) crisis ended.
Kulman Ghising, also served as the Nepal's Energy Minister and Chairperson of MCA-Nepal, the body implementing the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact. The MCC provides a U.S. grant for power and road projects. Ghising oversees project execution and board decisions. While the compact is promoted as supporting infrastructure growth, it has also faced debate in Nepal regarding sovereignty and foreign influence. He has served as managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority. He was MD of Nepal Electricity Authority during the tenure of Janardan Sharma when the country's long-standing load-shedding (power outage) ended.
<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Olsen |first1=William C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NxeUDwAAQBAJ&dq=kulman%20ghising&pg=PA150 |title=Engaging Evil: A Moral Anthropology |last2=Csordas |first2=Thomas J. |date=2019-05-03 |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=978-1-78920-214-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="kp">{{cite web |title=Duhu welcomes its proud son, Kulman ghising |url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-01-30/duhu-welcomes-its-proud-son-kulman-ghising.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802032849/http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-01-30/duhu-welcomes-its-proud-son-kulman-ghising.html |archive-date=2017-08-02 |access-date=2017-06-05 |website=kathmandupost.ekantipur.com}}</ref><ref name="afp">{{cite web |title=The Man Who Turned The Lights On In Energy-Starved Nepal |url=http://www.ndtv.com/people/the-man-who-turned-the-lights-on-in-energy-starved-nepal-1661238 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316153024/http://www.ndtv.com/people/the-man-who-turned-the-lights-on-in-energy-starved-nepal-1661238 |archive-date=2017-03-16 |access-date=2017-06-05 |website=ndtv.com}}</ref><ref name="nt">{{cite web |title="Power to the people" - Interview |work=Nepali Times |url=http://nepalitimes.com/article/interview/interview-with-Kulman-Ghising,3409 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703005411/http://nepalitimes.com/article/interview/interview-with-Kulman-Ghising,3409 |archive-date=2017-07-03 |access-date=2017-06-06}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Roushan |first=Anurag |date=2025-09-15 |title=Nepal interim cabinet expands with three new ministers: Check who gets what |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/nepal-interim-cabinet-expands-with-three-new-ministers-kulman-ghising-om-prakash-aryal-rameshwor-khanal-latest-updates-2025-09-15-1008233 |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=India TV News |language=en}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Ghising was born to a Tamang family in Bethan village of Ramechhap District in eastern Nepal,<ref name=kp2/> and went to Dahoo Secondary School as a child.<ref name=kp/> He moved to Kathmandu and went to Balsewa Secondary School in Jhochhe, starting in the seventh grade.<ref name=kp2/> He graduated high school from Amar Adarsh Secondary School and went to Amrit Science College for the Intermediate degree.<ref name=kp2/> He received free scholarship from Regional Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur, India, to become an electrical engineer.<ref name=kp2/> He completed his post-graduate studies from Pulchowk Campus.<ref name=kp/> Ghising then completed MBA from Pokhara University.
== Nepal Electricity Authority == Ghising started his job in NEA in 1994. He was appointed the managing director of NEA on 14 September 2016 by a cabinet decision having been recommended by Ram Sharan Mahat of Nepali Congress. He had been associated with NEA for over two decades prior to the appointment. At the time of the appointment, he was serving as the project chief of Rahughat Hydroelectricity Project, having been managing director of the Chilime Hydropower Company before that. Experienced in power trade and distribution, he said eliminating load shedding would be one of his main focus, in an interview following his appointment.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://thehimalayantimes.com/business/kulman-ghising-appointed-nepal-electricity-authority-managing-director/|title=Kulman Ghising appointed NEA managing director|date=15 September 2016|website=thehimalayantimes.com|access-date=24 December 2016|archive-date=25 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225080140/http://thehimalayantimes.com/business/kulman-ghising-appointed-nepal-electricity-authority-managing-director/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Scheduled daily power-cuts called load-shedding, extending up to 18 hours in the dry winter months,<ref name=kp2>{{Cite web|title=Kulman Ghising: The man who gave us light|url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2019/02/15/kulman-ghising-the-man-who-gave-us-light|access-date=2020-08-30|website=kathmandupost.com|language=English|archive-date=2021-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811175705/https://premiumbros.com/lp_wp.html?cid=uLNHClD1-y7k8K_hXLrj61Z7PRTw3X50|url-status=live}}</ref> had been a persistent problem in Nepal for decades. When Ghising was appointed to lead the NEA, he emphasized better management and more equitable power distribution.<ref name=nt/> By ending the policy of providing 24 hours uninterrupted power supply to a few large industries at the expense of the general public, he immediately eliminated power cuts in the major cities, and reduced power cuts to other parts of the country to around two hours every other day.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Acharya |first=Chet Narayan |date=2019-02-18 |title=Clean Energy Policy, Planning and Management: Gearing up the Rapid Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Nepal |journal=Journal of Economic Info |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=19–25 |doi=10.31580/jei.v6i1.483 |issn=2313-335X|doi-access=free }}</ref> He overhauled the hydropower generation system storing water during low demand hours, and bringing online power plants that had been inoperative due to poor maintenance. He launched a public awareness campaign to discourage the use of high-power domestic equipment during peak hours.<ref name=afp/> Load-shedding was eliminated across the country, for both residential and industrial sectors by May 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|title='Entire country is now free of loadshedding'|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/14/entire-country-is-now-free-of-loadshedding|access-date=2020-08-30|website=kathmandupost.com|language=English|archive-date=2020-09-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921022506/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/14/entire-country-is-now-free-of-loadshedding|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=kp2/>
On August 11, 2021, Kulman Ghising was reappointed for his second term.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-11 |title=Kulman Ghising reappointed as Managing Director of NEA |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/kulman-ghising-reappointed-as-executive-director-of-nea |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811045718/https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/kulman-ghising-reappointed-as-executive-director-of-nea |archive-date=2021-08-11 |access-date=2021-08-11 |website=The Himalayan Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kul Man Ghising appointed managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2021/08/11/kul-man-ghising-appointed-managing-director-of-nepal-electricity-authority |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811081412/https://kathmandupost.com/national/2021/08/11/kul-man-ghising-appointed-managing-director-of-nepal-electricity-authority |archive-date=2021-08-11 |access-date=2021-08-11 |website=The Kathmandu Post |language=English}}</ref> However, he was removed from his position on March 24, 2025, despite his tenure being scheduled to end on August 9, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-28 |title=After long standoff, government sacks Kulman Ghising |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/24/government-sacks-kulman-ghising-as-nea-chief |website=kathmandupost.com |access-date=2025-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328210614/https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/24/government-sacks-kulman-ghising-as-nea-chief |archive-date=28 March 2025 }}</ref> The government decision to remove him caused widespread criticism and protests.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-27 |title=Ghising's dismissal as power utility chief sparks political outcry, street protests |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/26/ghising-s-dismissal-as-power-utility-chief-sparks-political-outcry-street-protests |website=kathmandupost.com |access-date=2025-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250327030707/https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/26/ghising-s-dismissal-as-power-utility-chief-sparks-political-outcry-street-protests |archive-date=27 March 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-28 |title=Ghising's grit, Khadka's fall |url=https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2025/03/28/ghising-s-grit-khadka-s-fall |website=kathmandupost.com |access-date=2025-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328211736/https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2025/03/28/ghising-s-grit-khadka-s-fall |archive-date=28 March 2025 }}</ref>
Kul Man Ghising's dismissal as managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority on March 24, 2025, sparked protests across Nepal. Supporters criticized the government's decision, viewing it as unjust given his success in eliminating load-shedding. The protests revealed divisions within the ruling coalition, with even Nepali Congress leaders opposing the move, raising concerns about potential unrest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ghising's dismissal as power utility chief sparks political outcry, street protests |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/26/ghising-s-dismissal-as-power-utility-chief-sparks-political-outcry-street-protests |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=kathmandupost.com |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-08 |title=Kamala Bridge's painful saga: Ministers come, inspect, leave — but the bridge never gets built |url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/kamala-bridges-painful-saga-ministers-come-inspect-leave-but-the-bridge-nev-20-32.html |access-date=2025-11-22 |website=myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com |language=English}}</ref>
== Early political career == Although Ghising was long considered a career technocrat, his entry into politics was preceded by years of immense public popularity stemming from his leadership at the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). Speculation regarding his formal entry into politics began as early as the 2022 general elections, where he was heavily courted by the CPN (Maoist Centre), though he initially maintained his neutral status as a public official.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Khatri |first1=Prithvi |title=Is Kulman Ghising joining politics? |url=https://english.khabarhub.com/2022/19/248356/ |access-date=January 28, 2026 |work=Khabarhub |date=April 19, 2022}}</ref>
Following the 2025 youth-led "Gen Z protests" that led to the resignation of the K. P. Sharma Oli administration, Ghising was inducted into the interim cabinet of Nepal's first female Prime Minister, Sushila Karki.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nepal's interim Cabinet expanded with inclusion of Rameshore Khanal, Kulman Ghising and Om Prakash Aryal |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/nepal-interim-cabinet-ministers-september-15-2025/article70051835.ece |access-date=January 28, 2026 |work=The Hindu |date=September 15, 2025}}</ref> Sworn in on September 15, 2025, Ghising was appointed Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. Due to his reputation for administrative efficiency, he was also given the portfolios for the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Urban Development.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Prasain |first1=Sangam |title=Three newly appointed ministers sworn in |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/09/15/three-newly-appointed-ministers-sworn-in |access-date=January 28, 2026 |work=The Kathmandu Post |date=September 15, 2025}}</ref>
On January 7, 2026, Ghising resigned from his ministerial posts to transition into full-time party leadership ahead of the March 2026 general elections.<ref>{{cite news |title=Energy Minister Kulman Ghising resigns from his post |url=https://english.nepalnews.com/s/politics/energy-minister-kulman-ghising-resigns-from-his-post/ |access-date=January 28, 2026 |work=Nepal News |date=January 7, 2026}}</ref> Shortly after his resignation, he assumed the chairmanship of the "Ujyaalo Nepal Party" (Light of Nepal Party). Following a brief, 12-day unification attempt with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) that collapsed in January 2026 over ideological differences, Ghising announced he would contest the election independently for the seat of Kathmandu Constituency No. 3.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Poudel |first1=Purushottam |title=Kulman Ghising splits from Rastriya Swatantra Party just 12 days after unity |url=https://kathmandupost.com/politics/2026/01/11/kulman-ghising-splits-from-rastriya-swatantra-party-just-12-days-after-unity |access-date=January 28, 2026 |work=The Kathmandu Post |date=January 11, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Four Ministers in Karki govt resign to contest upcoming election in Nepal |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/four-ministers-in-karki-govt-resign-to-contest-upcoming-election-in-nepal/article70532328.ece |access-date=January 28, 2026 |work=The Hindu |date=January 21, 2026}}</ref>
== See also == * Ujyaalo Nepal Party * Harka Sampang * Mahabir Pun
==References== {{Reflist}}
* {{Cite web |title=Ghising's dismissal as power utility chief sparks political outcry, street protests |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/26/ghising-s-dismissal-as-power-utility-chief-sparks-political-outcry-street-protests |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=kathmandupost.com |language=English}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghising, Kul Man}} Category:Living people Category:Nepalese engineers Category:People from Ramechhap District Category:Pulchowk Campus alumni Category:Tamang people Category:1970 births Category:Physical infrastructure and transport ministers of Nepal Category:21st-century Nepalese politicians Category:Ujyaalo Nepal Party politicians