A few candidates successfully cleared all three rounds of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Examination, one of the most difficult entrance exams in the world. Every year, lakhs of candidates take the test in an attempt to become Indian Air Force (IAS) officers. When it comes to female IAS officers of today, many inspire us, such as IAS Tina Dabi, but who is the nation's first female IAS officer? We'll speak about India's first female IAS officer, Anna Rajam Mehrotra, who was a member of the 1951 batch. In addition to becoming India's first female IAS officer, Anna Rajam Mehrotra became the country's first female secretary and the second Indian woman to pass the civil services exam.
In addition to being the first Indian woman to become an IAS officer and the second woman to pass the UPSC exam, Anna Rajam Mehrotra is the first female secretary in history. Having served under the then-chief minister of Madras, C. Rajagopalachari, IAS Anna Rajam Mehrotra is a 1951 UPSC batch member who worked at the centre from 1951 to 2918. The 17th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), RN Malhotra, was the batchmate of IAS Anna Rajam Mehrotra.
Anna Rajam Mehrotra was born in Niranam, Thirubvalla, Pathanamthitta, Kerala in 1927. Her grandfather was the well-known Malayalam writer Pailo Paul. Ottavelil OA George was her father, and Anna Paul was her other name. IAS Raised in Calicut, in the Keralan district of Kozhikode, Anna Rajam Mehrotra completed her intermediate studies at Providence Women's College in Calicut. The first female IAS officer in India completed her undergraduate studies at Malabar Christian College in Calicut before attending the University of Campus to earn her master's degree in English literature in 1949. She took the civil services examination and passed it in 1950.
IAS Anna Rajam Mehrotra was offered Foreign and Central Services, deeming it "more suitable for women." The four-member Board, led by UPSC Chairman RN Banerjee, dissuaded her from entering the administrative service. Her first job was with C Rajagopalachari in Madras State, who allegedly offered her a position in the Secretariat because he was hesitant to assign a woman to oversee a district sub-collector. After defying orders, she was eventually assigned to Tirupattur, Madras, as Sub-Collector.
