Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state government is doing a lot to empower women. Yet, they are not getting key positions.
Before the assembly election, the government has transferred a large number of collectors. Out of 52 districts, female officers have been posted in nine.
Nevertheless, there are three important districts where women IAS officers have not been posted after the foundation of the state.
Besides whether it is the BJP or the Congress rule, women officers have not been posted in numerous departments and in scores of districts.
Bhopal, Indore and Gwalior never got a female collector.
The names of several women IAS officers did the rounds for posting as collectors to these districts, but that never happened.
The higher-ups in the government could not offer any reasons for not posting women IAS officers in these districts as collectors.
The government has recently shifted many collectors, but no female officer has been made a collector of any of the three districts.
According to a senior woman IAS officer, there are several districts and departments where female bureaucrats are not posted.
In tricky situations, women can perform better than their male counterparts, but that is never taken into consideration, she said.
Female officers not posted in PWD, energy, water resources departments
There are a few departments where female IAS officers are not posted. Such departments are PWD, energy, water resources, urban development and industries. Besides, there are many more wings, the command of which has never been given to women officers.
A woman officer has never been posted as principal secretary to the chief minister. Nevertheless, Nirmala Buch was the chief secretary.
Number of female officers is less: Mukherjee
Principal Secretary (personnel) Deepti Gaud Mukherjee has said it may have happened, because the number of women officers is very less.
According to her, women officers have been posted in the departments, like commercial tax, as director of budget and as chief executive officer of Rural Road Development Authority.
It clearly indicates that everyone is getting equal opportunities, she said.
Ashish Singh takes over as city collector
Ashish Singh has taken over as Bhopal collector on Thursday. After taking charge, the Bhopal collector informed media persons that his main priority would be implementing government’s ambitious schemes, especially urban development.
However, he said that though he has experience of other districts, the situation varies from district to district and takes time to understand the local situation and condition to handle peoples’ problems. He said, ‘I was the collector in other districts but in Bhopal the situation is different. So it takes time to understand the situation for solving local issues.’
