India’s first woman IAS officer dead
Mumbai, Sept 18: India’s first woman IAS officer after Independence, Anna Rajam Malhotra, who served in the Madras State under then Chief Minister C. Rajagopalachari and at the Central government, died in Mumbai on Monday. She was 91.
Born Anna Rajam George in Kerala’s Ernakulam district in July 1927, she moved to Chennai after her schooling in Kozhikode to pursue higher education at the University of Madras. She later married R.N. Malhotra, who served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1985 to 1990.
Ms. Malhotra joined the civil services in 1951 and opted for the Madras cadre. Though the interview board sought to convince her that the Foreign Service and the Central Services were “suitable for women”, she insisted on joining the civil service.
Set an example
In an interview to The Hindu in 2012, she recalled that Rajaji was in principle against women entering public service and was not keen to post her in the field.
“He was convinced that I would be unable to handle the law and order situation,” she said, adding that she had argued that she should be given a chance to prove herself. Much later at a public meeting, Rajaji had cited her as an example of progressive women.
Ms. Malhotra, who was trained in horse riding and shooting, was first posted in Hosur as a Sub Collector. During her tenure, she refused to issue orders to kill six elephants that had entered a village. Instead, she successfully managed the operation to drive the pachyderms back to the forests.
The officer worked under seven Chief Ministers and also with Rajiv Gandhi, when as an MP in 1982, he was in-charge of the Asian Games project in Delhi. Ms. Malhotra also accompanied former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on an eight-nation tour and had served in the personnel section of the Union Home Ministry.
First computerised port
She also successfully executed the construction of India’s first computerised port Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) in Mumbai as its chairperson.
Interestingly, when she joined service, the rules said, “In the event of marriage, your service will be terminated.” However, the rules were changed thereafter.
Paying tributes to Ms. Malhotra, retired Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer Santha Sheela Nair said: “She was a great lady and she was my role model. Whenever people appreciated me, they used to say my actions resembled hers a lot.”
Courtesy: www.thehindu.com
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India describes attack on Fujairah 'unacceptable'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Tuesday described the wounding of three Indians in an attack on the United Arab Emirates' port city of Fujairah as "unacceptable" and pressed for an immediate cessation of hostilities targeting innocent civilians.
New Delhi's reaction came a day after the Indians were injured after a drone attack caused a fire at a major oil industry zone in Fujairah. The UAE had accused Iran of carrying out the strike.
"The attack on Fujairah that resulted in injury to three Indian nationals is unacceptable," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians," the spokesperson said.
Jaiswal said India continued to stand for dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the situation so that peace and stability could be restored across West Asia.
"We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law. India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues," he said.
The attack on Fujairah city came as the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas pass, remains a major sticking point in the talks. Shipping through the narrow Gulf waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict, triggering a sharp increase in oil prices and energy shortages in several countries.
The UAE's defence ministry on Monday said its air defence systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran.
The ministry affirmed that it "remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country."
