Karnataka first state where women head police, bureaucracy
tnn|
Updated: Nov 30, 2017, 10.56 AM IST
BENGALURU: Karnataka has scored high on the bureaucratic front — it has become the first state in the country where administration, both civil and police, is headed by women.
With 1981-batch IAS officer K Ratna Prabha being appointed the chief secretary on Tuesday and the recent appointment of 1983-batch IPS officer Neelamani N Raju as the director general and inspector general of police (DG&IGP), the Siddaramaiah government has reiterated that Karnataka goes by seniority while choosing officers for coveted posts.
"It's for the first time that both the chief secretary and the police chief are women. Unlike other states where local officers are picked over those from outside, Karnataka has proved that it does not discriminate on regional and gender grounds," said former IAS officer A Ramaswamy.
In fact, the appointment of two women to top posts will help the Siddaramaiah government score some brownie points in the run-up to the assembly polls. "Many thought the CM will not choose women as the police chief or chief secretary in view of the polls. But Siddaramaiah took everyone by surprise. Had he denied Raju the DG&IGP's post, he would have had to bear the ignominy of not letting her become the first woman chief of the police force. If he hadn't considered Prabha for the chief secretary's post, he would have faced a strong backlash from the Dalit community she belongs to and also from women working professionals. But now Siddaramaiah has emerged as a leader who has truly worked towards equality of women," said a source close to the CM.
Thumbs up from opposition
The government's decision has been appreciated by opposition parties too. BJP MP and former minister Shobha Karandlaje's Twitter comment on Prabha's appointment reads: "Happy to see a woman heading the bureaucracy."
An official in the chief minister's office (CMO) said: "The CM has made it clear that women should not be relegated to the background in the decision-making and execution process. Almost all districts have at least one woman officer in a coveted position. For example, in Kolar district, all the top three officials — deputy commissioner, zilla panchayat CEO and superintendent of police — are women."
With 1981-batch IAS officer K Ratna Prabha being appointed the chief secretary on Tuesday and the recent appointment of 1983-batch IPS officer Neelamani N Raju as the director general and inspector general of police (DG&IGP), the Siddaramaiah government has reiterated that Karnataka goes by seniority while choosing officers for coveted posts.
"It's for the first time that both the chief secretary and the police chief are women. Unlike other states where local officers are picked over those from outside, Karnataka has proved that it does not discriminate on regional and gender grounds," said former IAS officer A Ramaswamy.
In fact, the appointment of two women to top posts will help the Siddaramaiah government score some brownie points in the run-up to the assembly polls. "Many thought the CM will not choose women as the police chief or chief secretary in view of the polls. But Siddaramaiah took everyone by surprise. Had he denied Raju the DG&IGP's post, he would have had to bear the ignominy of not letting her become the first woman chief of the police force. If he hadn't considered Prabha for the chief secretary's post, he would have faced a strong backlash from the Dalit community she belongs to and also from women working professionals. But now Siddaramaiah has emerged as a leader who has truly worked towards equality of women," said a source close to the CM.
Thumbs up from opposition
The government's decision has been appreciated by opposition parties too. BJP MP and former minister Shobha Karandlaje's Twitter comment on Prabha's appointment reads: "Happy to see a woman heading the bureaucracy."
An official in the chief minister's office (CMO) said: "The CM has made it clear that women should not be relegated to the background in the decision-making and execution process. Almost all districts have at least one woman officer in a coveted position. For example, in Kolar district, all the top three officials — deputy commissioner, zilla panchayat CEO and superintendent of police — are women."
(This article was originally published in The Times of India)
