Kathmandu, Renowned scientist and social innovator Mahabir Pun has been appointed as the Minister for Education, Science, and Technology in the interim government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki. He was sworn in on Monday by President Ramchandra Paudel.

Known for his humble lifestyle and grassroots innovation, Pun was actively engaged at his National Innovation Center even as discussions about his ministerial nomination were ongoing. Just days before, he had been traveling across districts selling his autobiography "Mahabir Pun: Memories, Dreams, and an Unstoppable Journey", to raise funds for innovation and the development of agricultural tools. Over 526 days, he visited 45 districts and sold 240,000 copies of the book.

Pun’s innovation center has been instrumental in developing several technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic, including PPEs, face shields, nursing robots, swab collection boxes, and coffins for COVID victims. The center has also developed baby warmers, mobile bee-carrying trolleys, fruit-drying solar dryers, car-washing machines, and even devices to scare away monkeys in rural areas.

An alumnus of the University of Nebraska, USA, Pun returned to Nepal with the aim of contributing to his homeland. He established the "Nepal Wireless Networking Project," bringing wireless internet to remote villages in Nepal. For this contribution, he received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2007 — often dubbed the “Asian Nobel Prize.” He was also honored with the Jonathan B. Postel Service Award by the Internet Society in 2014.

Following his appointment, Pun made a humble and humorous remark on social media:
"Please don't call me 'Minister'. If you must, call me the 'Scrap Scientist Minister'," referencing jokes that his innovation center resembles a scrapyard. He added,
“Please don’t call to congratulate or bring garlands. Instead, send me practical ideas for work that can be done in the next five months in the fields of education, science, and technology.”

As this is a transitional government with a short-term mandate, Pun has called for actionable suggestions that can be implemented within this limited period. A frequent critic of governmental inefficiency in science and technology investment, Pun now finds himself in a position to implement change directly.