The government has appointed Leela Devi Gadtaula, the secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister, as the chief secretary.
A meeting of the Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday appointed Gadtaula to the post, making her the first female chief secretary in the civil service history of Nepal.
She had been appointed as the acting chief secretary on July 15. The post of chief secretary reigns supreme in the Nepali civil service.
Gadtaula was appointed as the acting chief secretary on a seniority basis after Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal was suspended over a corruption case on June 23.
According to the Civil Service Rules of 1993, the senior secretary will assume the duties of the chief secretary in their absence.
Who is Gadtaula?
Gadtaula previously served as law secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. She started her civil service career as a section officer in 2052 BS. She became undersecretary on October 3, 2006 and subsequently took charge of joint secretary on January 23, 2014.
She had been working as the secretary since November 12, 2020. Gadtaula has a knack for drafting laws and dealing with gender justice issues. Born in 2023 BS at Myanglung-4 in Tehrathum, Gadtaula holds a Master of Laws degree.
Gadtaula will retire in mid-August on the ground of reaching the mandatory retirement age of 58.
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