Who Was Anna Rajam Malhotra? India’s First Female IAS Officer

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Examination is one of India's most difficult tests to crack. Lakhs of people appear for the test every year, however, few manage to ace and secure esteemed positions in the central services. One such aspirant who not only passed the examination but also scripted history was Anna Rajam Malhotra, the first woman to become an Indian Administrative Services officer (IAS) and the second woman in the country to pass the exam. In addition to this glorious feat, she also became the country's first female secretary of the Government of India.

Anna Rajam Malhotra, Pioneering IAS Officer

Anna Rajam Malhotra is the first woman IAS officer and first woman secretary in India. She was also the second woman to clear the competitive civil service examination in 1951. Having served under the then-chief minister of Madras, C. Rajagopalachari, she worked at the centre from 1951 to 2018.

Rajam-Malhotra was born in Pathanamthitta, Kerala in 1927. Her grandfather was a well-known Malayalam writer, Pailo Paul. She grew up in Kozhikode (Calicut) and completed her intermediate studies at Providence Women's College. She completed her undergraduate studies at Malabar Christian College.

Anna Rajam Malhotra earned a master's degree in English literature in 1949. She took the civil services examination and passed it in 1951. The 17th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), RN Malhotra, was the batchmate of IAS Anna Rajam Malhotra, to whom she later got married.

IAS Malhotra was offered Foreign and Central Services, as it was dubbed "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.

Despite the gender barriers, Anna Rajam Malhotra defied the odds and got trained in horse riding, rifle and revolver shooting and using magisterial powers. She was eventually assigned to Tirupattur, Madras, as a Sub-Collector, becoming the first ever woman to do so. Later, Malhotra went on to hold several distinguished positions in the Government of Madras.

She held portfolios such as Under Secretary of Agriculture and Under Secretary and Deputy Secretary, Public, and Secretary to Government, Agriculture Department. She also worked with the Government of India as the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture, among others.

She had a remarkable career, working with seven chief ministers and working closely with Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi. She is also credited with the construction of India's first computerised port, Nhavasheva, in Mumbai. In 1989, Anna Rajam Malhotra was awarded the Padma Bhushan. She passed away in September 2018.