Lila Devi Gadtaula becomes first female chief secretary

Setopati

Kathmandu, July 25

Lila Devi Gadtaula has become the first female head of the Nepali bureaucracy.

Gadtaula, who was made acting chief secretary on June 23 by the then Pushpa Kamal Dahal government after the incumbent Baikuntha Aryal was suspended following corruption case, has been appointed the chief secretary by the Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

She will not lead the bureaucracy for long though. Gadtaula, who was promoted to secretary in November 2020, is set to retire on August 31 due to the age limit of 58 years.

The term of chief secretary is three years, as per the Civil Service Act but the age limit of 58 years applies even on the head of the bureaucracy.

Having joined civil service as section officer in 1995, she was promoted to under secretary 11 years later and became joint secretary another seven years after that.