https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Anna_Rajam_MalhotraAnna Rajam Malhotra - Revision history2026-07-31T20:02:13ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Anna_Rajam_Malhotra&diff=232337&oldid=prev2409:4073:28D:9D0E:0:0:1FC1:60A4 at 04:31, 29 September 20212021-09-29T04:31:03Z<p></p>
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{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Anna Rajam Malhotra<br />
| image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [[brackets]] --><br />
| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --><br />
| caption = <br />
| birth_name = Anna Rajam George<br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1927|07|17}} <br />
| birth_place = [[Niranam]], [[Kerala]], [[British India]]<br />
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|09|17|1927|07|17}} <br />
| death_place = <br />
| nationality = [[India|Indian]]<br />
| other_names = <br />
| occupation = <br />
| years_active = <br />
| known_for = <br />
| notable_works = <br />
| awards = [[Padma Bhushan]]<br />
| spouse = [[R. N. Malhotra]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Anna Rajam Malhotra''' (née '''George'''; 17 July 1927 – 17 September 2018) was an [[Indian Administrative Service]] officer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theprint.in/governance/indias-first-woman-ias-officer-who-knew-how-to-handle-men-and-guns/121084/|title=India’s first woman IAS officer who knew how to handle men and guns}}</ref> She was the first woman in India to hold this position. Malhotra belonged to the 1951 batch of the IAS and married [[R. N. Malhotra]], her batchmate.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|author=Priyadershini S. |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/article2981603.ece |title=Grit meets grace |publisher=Thehindu.com |date=2012-03-11 |access-date=2015-05-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = अन्ना राजम थीं देश की पहली महिला IAS, 67 साल पहले हुआ था सिलेक्शन|url = http://www.bhaskar.com/news/ENT-KZHK-anna-rajam-malhotra-is-the-first-woman-ias-officer-of-india-5055564-PHO.html|website = www.bhaskar.com|access-date = 2015-08-24}}</ref><br />
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== Early life and education ==<br />
Malhotra was born in 1927 in [[Niranam]], [[Pathanamthitta]] as the daughter of Ottavelil O. A. George and Anna Paul. She was the granddaughter of Malayalam author Pailo Paul. She grew up in [[Calicut]] [[(Kozhikode district,Kerala)]] and completed her intermediate from [[Providence Women's College]] and bachelor's degree from [[Malabar Christian College]] in Calicut. In 1949 she obtained her master's in English literature from [[University of Madras]]. She passed the civil services examination in 1950, and was the first woman to do so.<ref name=":0" /><br />
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== Career ==<br />
Malhotra was discouraged from joining the service by the board which consisted of four ICS officers, headed by R.N. Banerjee the Chairman of UPSC. She was instead offered the Foreign Service and Central Services because they were 'more suitable for women'. But, she argued her case and stood her ground.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/82410/anna-rajam-malhotra-india-first-female-ias-officer/|title=The Untold and Inspiring Story of Anna Rajam Malhotra, India's First Female IAS Officer|date=2017-01-17|work=The Better India|access-date=2017-10-28|language=en-US}}</ref><br />
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Her first posting as a civil servant was in [[Madras State]] and reportedly chief minister [[C. Rajagopalachari]] was sceptical about giving a woman the charge of a district sub-collector and instead offered her a post in the Secretariat. She had undergone training in horse riding, rifle and revolver shooting and in using magisterial powers and hence did not comply and was eventually posted as the Sub Collector of [[Tiruppattur, Tirupattur district|Tirupattur]] in Madras State, becoming the first woman to do so.<br />
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She worked under seven chief ministers and worked closely with [[Rajiv Gandhi]] in the Asiad Project and briefly with [[Indira Gandhi]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><br />
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Malhotra was responsible for building India's first computerised port, Nhavasheva, in Mumbai<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> and was also the first Malayali woman to hold a secretarial post in the central government.<ref name=":1" /><br />
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She was awarded the [[Padma Bhushan]] in 1989.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=July 21, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6U68ulwpb?url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=November 15, 2014 }}</ref><ref name=":1" /><br />
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Malhotra died in September 2018 at the age of 91.<ref>[https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/indias-first-woman-ias-officer-dead/article24971462.ece?homepage=true India’s first woman IAS officer dead]</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1980–89}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Malhotra, Anna Rajam}}<br />
[[Category:1927 births]]<br />
[[Category:2018 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Indian Administrative Service officers]]<br />
[[Category:Indian Christians]]<br />
[[Category:People from Ernakulam district]]<br />
[[Category:People from Kerala]]<br />
[[Category:People from Kochi]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service]]<br />
[[Category:Saint Thomas Christians]]<br />
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