Women of Influence

Ten Extraordinary IAS careers

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Women of Influence is a compilation of the untold stories of ten women IAS officers who have walked the extra mile and made a difference despite facing major pressures in governance. Having worked in the civil services for thirty-seven years, Rajni Sekhri Sibal has been in a unique position to see things at close quarters, which is why she is able to present narratives that provide an insight into the challenges of being a woman IAS officer, and also highlight episodes where the protagonist displays immense courage and commitment during the most difficult of times.

The narratives span many generations-the oldest narrative is set at the Bikaner border during the 1965 Indo-Pak War and the latest recounts events that occured fifty years later in UP in 2015. They also deal with varied subjects and geographies, ranging from a panchayat election in Punjab during the height of militancy in the eighties, to Naxal-prone Chandrapur in Maharashtra, to joyful learning in Karnataka and right across to the orchid plantations in Arunachal. The book relates accounts of how different protagonists responded to threats of violence post a death in police custody, to illegal mining by a sand mafia and to resistance to the introduction of technology in a government organization. Strategies adopted for making India Polio-free in 2011 and interventions to deal with the scrouge of human trafficking also provide interesting insights in the book. The narratives are inspiring tales of ten strong and efficient women of substance, and their extraordinary careers wherein they made a difference.