The government has appointed Ek Narayan Aryal as the chief secretary.

A Cabinet meeting on Thursday promoted Aryal, who is currently secretary at the ministry of home affairs, to the top post of Nepal’s civil service. The government chose him despite the fact that he was reportedly in the fourth number in the list of the competitors for the post of the chief secretary.

The current Chief Secretary Liladevi Gadtaula is set to retire on Friday.

Gadtaula, who was appointed on July 25, made history as Nepal’s first female chief secretary.

According to Krishna Hari Pushkar, a secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, Aryal’s tenure in the new post will come into effect from Saturday.