Lila Devi Gadtaula holds the distinction of being Nepal’s first female Chief Secretary. Although her tenure as Chief Secretary was brief, lasting from July 25 to August 30, 2024, she has the honour of being the first woman to serve in this role in the history of Nepal’s civil service. Gadtaula began her civil service career 29 years ago as a Section Officer at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, a position she held for nearly 11 years. She was then promoted to Undersecretary and, through open competition, ascended to the role of Joint Secretary in early 2014. In 2020, she achieved the rank of Secretary.
Interestingly, it took about a month for her formal appointment as Chief Secretary, having first been assigned the role of Acting Chief Secretary on June 24, then Officiating Chief Secretary on July 15, before her official appointment on July 25. During her month-long tenure, the nation celebrated her historic appointment, and she received widespread recognition and support before retiring with grace.
HRM Nepal recently spoke with Gadtaula as she reflected on her tenure and discussed a wide range of issues as the outgoing Chief Secretary. Excerpts:
Q. When you first joined the civil service, did you ever envision yourself rising to the top of the organisation?
A. I never imagined becoming Chief Secretary, not even a day before I was given the responsibility of Acting Chief Secretary. When I first joined the civil service as a Section Officer in the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, I was optimistic that I could eventually rise to the position of Secretary if I performed well. Being from the legal service, however, it was rare for someone from our cadre to be appointed Chief Secretary. It wasn’t until Law Secretary Tirthaman Shakya was appointed Chief Secretary that I realised it wasn’t impossible for legal service officers to reach the top of the civil service. Still, I never thought I would be in that position myself.
Before June 25, 2024, as the senior-most Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, I had occasionally served as Acting Chief Secretary in the absence of the Chief Secretary. But when the former Chief Secretary was suspended and I was given the responsibility, the news became widely publicised. However, the Cabinet only officially appointed me as Chief Secretary on July 25. In many ways, I would say I became Chief Secretary by accident.
Q. The government took a month to appoint you to this position, even though we already have a female President, Speaker and Chief Justice. Why did the government take so long for your appointment? What are your thoughts on this?
A. The era we live in is all about publicity, and by nature, women tend not to self-promote. If the Prime Minister and his cabinet hadn’t closely observed my work, I might not have been considered for Chief Secretary. Nevertheless, women are still not easily given leadership roles. I believe this is driven by traditional mindsets.
I am grateful to the Prime Minister and Cabinet for appointing me. It was because I was the outgoing secretary, and in terms of seniority among secretaries, I was ranked eighth. Following my appointment, the Prime Minister urged me not to be in an outgoing mood and suggested that I work remarkably, three times more than usual.
Q. What are the main challenges you have identified in the civil service?
A. There are various issues that hinder the vibrancy and robustness of the civil service. Several factors affect the performance of civil servants, including sufficient infrastructure and a conducive environment. Additionally, opportunities should be awarded based on merit and performance. Although I am a woman, I did not choose reservation and was promoted to Joint Secretary through open competition. However, women are often overlooked for opportunities. Regarding infrastructure, even the office buildings were not female-friendly, lacking separate toilets for women. The Civil Service Wives Association was formed in 2004 at the initiative of the Chief Secretary. Until then, it was not envisioned that a woman could become the Chief Secretary, otherwise, the association would have been named the Civil Service Spouse Association. Furthermore, there were initially no facilities for breastfeeding and childcare. Later, with the increased enrollment of female staff in the civil service and their voices compelling decision-makers, childcare centres were established in public offices, including Singhadurbar.
In the early days of my career, once my male colleague and I entered the secretary’s room to listen to his thoughts, reflections and seek guidance. He asked my male colleague to sit, and then he asked me, “Do you have any business, Lila ji?” I replied, “No, sir,” and left. This incident suggests that only male colleagues were allowed to sit and listen to the secretary, while women could only meet with higher officials if they had business. I believe this was a behavioural issue rather than any intentional exclusion by the secretary at the time. However, the situation has changed significantly now, with a substantial increase in women in the bureaucracy, particularly after the introduction of the reservation policy in 2008.
Q. As Chief Secretary, what impression have you made on the bureaucracy?
A. It was a very short time for me. The government is new, and I was appointed by the new government. Many visitors who came to meet the Prime Minister would also come to my office. Although my tenure was brief, I effectively coordinated with other secretaries as the bridge between political leadership and administration, expedited backlogs and regular work, reviewed budgets and programme/project implementation, and led Prime Minister-led review meetings.
Additionally, as Chief Secretary, I conducted performance evaluations of secretaries and instructed the committee for evaluating Joint Secretaries. During my tenure, I initiated efforts to resolve or move forward stalled issues. Furthermore, if any grievances were received, I directly coordinated with secretaries. I also took the initiative to settle the protest of the staff under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. Sometimes, there is pressure on ministries to push forward undue demands from different parties. In such situations, in consultation with secretaries, I convened dialogues between the government and the concerned parties, convincing them of the reasons why certain things cannot happen. These are a few of the initiatives I took as Chief Secretary.
Q. The nation celebrated your appointment to the leadership role of Civil Servants; there was an overwhelming response from the international community. The Prime Minister seemed highly encouraged and started saying that Nepal will soon see a female Prime Minister. Given the trust expressed by the Prime Minister and you as the Chief Secretary, were there any interventions you considered to create an environment where women can reach leadership roles without obstructions?
A. My appointment as Chief Secretary has sent a strong message that women should not be obstructed or ignored in their pursuit of leadership roles. Meanwhile, Nepal is required to submit a report to the United Nations as a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The appointment of a woman as Chief Secretary itself demonstrates Nepal’s strong performance in this regard.
Regarding policy interventions, while existing policies and laws do not obstruct women from taking leadership roles, there are behavioural issues that need to be addressed to facilitate women’s career growth in both the public and private sectors. We are actively working to eliminate discrimination against women, and more importantly, the Civil Service Act is undergoing an amendment process. The civil service is particularly convenient for women as they are allowed to take unpaid leave without having to quit their jobs. I believe the private sector, at least the formal sector, should consider providing some flexibility to women based on their circumstances. We can expect some interventions from the revised act as well. The Cabinet has decided that female participation is mandatory in each delegation.
Q. In recent times, there seems to be a lack of competition among ministry secretaries and an insular attitude among bureaucrats. In your opinion, how can these issues be resolved?
A. If you do not want to make decisions, you are unfit for the civil service. Failing to make decisions is gross negligence. It is not acceptable for Joint Secretaries and Secretaries to stall work without making decisions. They might be afraid to make decisions, but they should not be. This is not a matter of one or two days; it takes 12 years to be promoted to Secretary. Therefore, it is not possible to buy time without doing anything. Bureaucrats are not obligated to make decisions that are not allowed by law. To the extent that the law allows, they must make decisions.
Q. Given the recent controversy surrounding government internships, what are your views on their value and potential challenges?
The government has been taking interns for a long time. As the Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), we have taken interns; there was a long practice of employing interns in government attorney offices. When I was in the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, I saw interns working there. Interns should not be taken in areas where there is already overstaffing or where government confidentiality should be maintained, such as security, budget and other sensitive affairs. There is a programme and budget for hiring interns.
Q. Given the clear benefits of digitalisation, why has the government been slow to adopt it for improving public services?
A. The government has already initiated the digitalisation of public services; however, the entire ecosystem should be prepared for it. Primarily, the quality of technology and basic infrastructures – internet and electricity supply – must be reliable. For example, we have adopted online payments for revenue submission, transport, land revenue and other sectors have adopted modern technology to deliver services to the public. On the other hand, there has been an initiation of system integration among concerned agencies to expedite services delivered to the public.
Q. Given the challenges associated with deploying civil servants to subnational governments, have you faced any difficulties in this area? If so, what are they?”
A. There are issues regarding deployment of civil servants, as per the law federal government officials are being deployed secretary of the provincial ministries and chief administrative officer of the rural/municipality. I believe the revised Civil Service Act will address the issue, the Bill is under the domain of the parliament, I don’t want to comment on it further.
Q. Why has the proposed restructuring of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) been stalled?
A. The Organisation and Management (O&M) Survey has already been conducted and has minimised the required number of staff; however, in the current context, the proposed number in the O&M is insufficient. The Prime Minister’s Office primarily has a coordinating role, monitoring and evaluation, policy research, and policy formulation. Any issues that are not subject to the Cabinet or among others should be addressed by the relevant ministries. The Chief Secretary must filter and review the agendas submitted to the Cabinet. I have returned many files to ministries, asking them to make decisions at their level if the agendas are not subject to the Cabinet.
Q. Is the Prime Minister’s Office seen as less attractive to secretaries, and is it perceived as a place to avoid responsibility? Has the recent reduction in secretaries from 9-10 to 4 contributed to this perception?
A. That is not true; there is a lot of pressure in the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Previously, there was such a narrative, but whoever has worked in the OPMCM can realise the pressure of work. I believe at least four secretaries are required in addition to the Chief Secretary.
Q. Despite being the permanent government, bureaucracy is often accused of stalling issues and keeping them in limbo. How do you view the state of accountability and responsibility within the bureaucracy?”
A. The person in the front desk is unable to convince the public and deliver service in an easier way. Senior level bureaucrats deal with policy issues rather than the public. We have been providing orientation to staffs deal with public, provide them proper information at the front desk and improve service delivery. The attitude of service provider at the front desk can change the impression of public.
Q. Are there any retirement plans?
A. Right now I don’t have any plans. I will be active in the legal sector as my knowledge and expertise allows working in this sector after retirement.
