OnlineKhabar Releases List of ’50 Influential Women 2026′ in Nepal
Summary
Reviewed.
- OnlineKhabar has released the list of ’50 Influential Women 2026′, featuring women from politics, society, arts, youth, science, entrepreneurship, and diaspora.
- The selection panel, led by former Supreme Court Justice Mira Khadka, chose 50 women on January 22 from over 700 nominations.
- Editor-in-Chief Basanta Basnet highlighted the list as recognition of women not only for their beauty but as creators of struggle and success.
March 6, Kathmandu – OnlineKhabar.com has published Nepal’s “50 Influential Women 2026” list. Traditionally released ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8), this year’s launch was slightly delayed due to the recent general elections (February 21) and national commitments, Editor-in-Chief Basanta Basnet noted.
The list represents 50 determined and hardworking women from diverse fields including Nepali politics, society, arts and literature, culture, youth and sports, knowledge and science, entrepreneurship, and the diaspora.
Prior to finalizing the list, OnlineKhabar issued a public call for nominations. Over 700 names were received from the central news desk in Kathmandu, correspondents across all seven provinces, experts from various sectors, and other sources.
From these submissions, a preliminary list of more than 460 candidates was compiled. Considering geographic and social diversity, the news desk prudently narrowed this to 200 names, and then further to 116 women based on their contributions, influence, and inspiration. This refined list was presented to the selection panel.
The final selection jury was chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Mira Khadka. Other jury members included Barsha Shrestha, Business Head of ICRA Nepal and banking expert; Shiv Gaunle, former president of the Nepal Federation of Journalists and former Editor-in-Chief of OnlineKhabar; and Basanta Basnet, Editor-in-Chief of OnlineKhabar. The entire coordination was managed by Associate Editor Sudarshan Khatri from the news desk.
On January 22, the jury convened and selected 50 women primarily based on their individual contributions and social impact. Alternative candidates were prepared in case some nominees could not be contacted or their information was found inaccurate. In the final list, 3 women from this alternate list replaced 3 others due to these issues.
“Success Measured by Distance Traveled, Not the Destination”
Chairman of OnlineKhabar Pvt. Ltd., Dharma Raj Bhusal, explained the main goal of the ’50 Influential Women’ selection is to recognize and honor the contributions of women active in various social fields and preserve their distinct leadership as a national achievement in the public record.
Bhusal emphasized that today’s media responsibility extends beyond revolving around power centers to highlighting stories of common people’s sweat, struggle, and dedication in the mainstream.
He clarified that the women chosen are not those who shone through power but those who broke barriers with intellect and struggle, adding, ‘Our society has long tried to portray women merely as victims, but these 50 faces have completely overturned that notion.’
“Symbols of Dedication and Struggle”
Editor-in-Chief Basnet said it is incorrect to confine women to mere symbols of beauty.
“This is the third time OnlineKhabar has published the list of 50 influential women. Women are often portrayed only as icons of beauty and subjects of songs and poetry,” he said. “However, these 50 influential women have proven that women represent dedication and struggle and are true creators of success.”
He added, “As a jury member, I can say that among the 700-plus nominations, at least 400 names genuinely deserve respect.”
While congratulating all women active in social transformation but not included in the list, Basnet affirmed the commitment to include new faces in future editions.
Referring to the recently concluded elections, he noted, “An exceptional aspect this year was that many newly elected parliamentarians had applied for the 50 Influential Women list. Those applications remain safely preserved.”
He added, “But you deserve congratulations because the nation has honored you as representatives of the people.”
This is the third edition of OnlineKhabar’s ’50 Influential Women’. Additionally, the outlet annually publishes lists of ’40 Under 40′ young achievers across various fields on International Youth Day.
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