Kathmandu, May 7 -- Women played a crucial role in reviving the national economy in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, said Lily Thapa, commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, during the fifth edition of Nirvik Nari, organised by Nari, a publication of the Kantipur Media Group, on Wednesday.

Speaking at the session titled "Glass ceiling: Invisible barriers", keynote speaker of the event, Thapa cited World Bank data, stating that nearly 45 percent of Nepal's economy was sustained by small and micro-entrepreneurs-many of whom were women-between 2019 and 2021.

"Women lifted the economy through small businesses when everything else had come to a halt," she said.

Other speakers echoed Thapa's sentiments while shedding lig...