Historic Women Representation in Civil Services: Dr. Jitendra Singh Hails Largest-Ever Representation of 74 Women IAS Officers in a Batch of 180, Nearly 41 Percent

Newdelhi:20/4/25:In a thought-provoking and motivating interaction with the Officer Trainees (OTs) of the 2023 IAS batch, Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space hailed the largest women representation in the history of Indian Administrative Services, with 74 women officers, making up 41 percent of the current batch of 180 officers.

The interaction was part of the ongoing Assistant Secretary programme, wherein the IAS Officer Trainees are attached to 46 Central Ministries for a period of 8 weeks from April 1 to May 30, 2025, giving them early exposure to policy formulation and the workings of the Central Government.

Dr. Jitendra Singh attributed this landmark development to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, under whose tenure women-led initiatives have gained unprecedented momentum. “The Prime Minister has always been a champion of women empowerment. This record representation is a testament to his unwavering support for inclusive and progressive governance,” the Minister said.

The Minister reflected on the inception of the Assistant Secretary Programme in 2015, calling it Prime Minister Modi’s brainchild to give young officers real-time governance exposure at the beginning of their careers. “The programme has brought a resurgence of confidence among officers. During the pandemic, many of these officers performed remarkably when called upon for district-level crisis management,” Dr. Jitendra Singh added.

As the initiative marks its 10th anniversary, Dr. Jitendra Singh noted its outstanding impact on nurturing capable and confident civil servants. He also celebrated the democratisation of Civil Services, with increasing representation from states like Punjab, Haryana, and the North-East, regions that earlier saw fewer selections.

The Minister took pride in the academic and professional diversity of the batch, mentioning that 99 officers hail from engineering backgrounds, along with many from medicine and other technical fields. “For years, I wondered why technocrats joined the civil services. But now, I realize the technical nature of flagship Government programmes—from Digital India to Smart Cities—makes their presence a national asset,” he said.