Number of Women IAS Officers has increased in the last few years
The number of women in Civil Services has improved marginally, if not phenomenally, in the last few years. Here are 5 Women IAS Officers who inspire us and give hope to many more girls in the country to follow their dreams!
1. Anna Rajam Malhotra
She was the first woman in India to hold the position of an Indian Administrative Service officer. At first, she was discouraged from being a part of the services, but she held her ground and ensured that she got what she deserved. Having worked with political stalwarts like C. Rajagopalachari, Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi, Anna was a woman who could wield the guns just as well as she could use a pen. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1989.
2. Smita Sabharwal
Popularly known as the ‘The People’s Officer’, Smita Sabharwal belongs to the Telangana cadre. She is also the first lady appointed to the Chief Minister’s Office. With an All India fourth rank in UPSC 2000, she has always focused on working for the citizens and solving their problems.
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3. Ira Singhal
Ira Singhal is the first differently abled woman to top the civil services exam. With the highest score in the exam in 2014, she has always inspired people with her commitment, her talks on education, gender issues, disability and more. Her vision and fight for equality led her to hire transgender people for government jobs.
4. Anu Kumari
Anu Kumari is an inspiration for thousands of women, as her struggle to become one of the toppers in the examination was commendable. To fulfill her dream of getting into the services, she had left her job, stayed away from family and worked extremely hard to secure the second position in the examination. She is currently posted in the Kerala Cadre, and her videos on her journey are a must watch for aspirants.
5. Beela Rajesh
In the past few years, Beela Rajesh has been in the news for her active fight against Covid-19 pandemic in Tamil Nadu. She was appointed Health Secretary at the Department of Health and Family Welfare of State of Tamil
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Nadu in 2019. In this role, she helped fight Covid cases in the state and minimise the number of Dengue cases.
Women in Civil Services
According to the results of UPSC 2021, 508 men and 177 women were selected in the final list. 10 women were in the top 25 positions. Shruti Sharma, Ankita Agarwal and Gamini Singla had secured the first, second and third positions in the prestigious examination.
Year 2020 had seen 10 women in the top 20 list and a total of 28% women who qualified for the exam. In 2019, 23% women had prepared for the exam.
Even with women securing higher positions in the exam and performing very well, the overall representation of women has hardly gone beyond 30%, and the number of men qualified remains higher than women. This unequal representation is the cause of multiple factors, such as women having to brave more challenges, fulfill more responsibilities or the general outlook of people in the society.
However, with more women out there willing to battle the uphill task and take the lead, we hope to see more women in the important positions in the country and bring the winds of change.
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