Hyderabad: In the last 70 years, no woman has been appointed to the important post of Cabinet Secretary at the Centre. Rajya Sabha MP Subramaniam Swamy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appoint a senior woman IAS officer as Cabinet Secretary ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.
The Congress government in united Andhra Pradesh had appointed Minnie Mathew as the first woman Chief Secretary of a state, and the present TRS government has appointed Smitha Sabarwal Additional Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office. She is the first woman IAS officer in the country, and the youngest, to be appointed to the Chief Minister’s Office.
The post of Chief Secretary (Mukhya Sachiv) is the top-most executive seat held by senior IAS cadre officials.
Subramanian Swamy made his suggestion in a tweet: “I have in a letter to PM yesterday urged him to announce on March 8 that the next Cabinet Secretary will be a woman IAS officer. Never in the last 70 years there has been one. March 8th is UN’s International day.”
The tweet got mixed reactions. Some supported him, others said seniority and merit should be the criteria not gender.
Deccan Chronicle spoke to former Chief Secretary of united AP, Minnie Mathew, to get her take on the issue. “It is always good to have a woman in the top post,” Ms Mathew said. “However, the appointment is certainly not based on gender, but on seniority, the officer’s track record, performance, merit, ability to take decisions, to lead from the front.”
Explaining the process of selection, she said, “A cabinet secretary is empanelled from the GOI secretaries. It is a rigorous selection. IAS officers are screened thoroughly during selection. They assess your confidential reports of the past several years and check if the candidate is suitable for the top job.”
While seniority is one factor, it is the government’s prerogative to select officers based on merit as well and issue special GOs.
“Another parameter is the total number of serving years left. The element of continuity is important. Those appointed have to serve the five-year tenure,” she added.
IAS officer on special duty (OSD) at the CM’s office, Telangana, Ms Priyanka Varghese said, “Seniority should be respected and the capability of the officer in carrying out crucial decision making is another important criteria gazed while appointing top officials. But, other wise for a preferential post or a special task, apart from capacity parameter, it is good idea to have a women officer. I personally believe women officers don’t require a chief position to prove, because several working at different levels are scripting history in excellent administrative operations. Telangana government has many such women officers”.
While BJP MLA Mr Kishen Reddy agreeing with RS MP Subramaniam Swamy, he said, “PM should consider the suggestion and appoint a women IAS officer as Cabinet Secretary.”
