Sima Kumari Chettri, Mayor of Putalibazar Municipality, Syangja, Nepal
The Respected Mayor of Putalibazar Municipality, Syangja, Sima Kumari Chettri attributes her success to her mother; she never knew her father who passed away when she was just two. Growing up in a time when education for girls was not encouraged, she struggled to get one. She persevered and was soon teaching and later became principal at a school in Putalibazar. This she accomplished while simultaneously pursuing her post-graduate studies.
As the Mayor of Putalibazar for four years running, she faced her greatest test last year during the lockdown. During such challenging times, she led her constituents into action by establishing quarantine centers, and driving social awareness campaigns on mask wearing, handwashing and social distancing, among other activities.
With the lessons learned from the pandemic, Mayor Chettri is committed to establishing better health infrastructure in Putalibazar. She also believes in a socially and gender inclusive sustainable recovery and has a number of investments planned in encouraging small and medium enterprises, investing in cold storage infrastructure for the famous local oranges, investing in education particularly agriculture studies, and promoting local tourism.
