Thiruvananthapuram: In a first, Kerala has 10 of its 14 districts having women district collectors, giving a morale boost for women in the state and an inspiration for the rest of India. The Left Democratic Front government in Kerala added a new woman collector for the Alappuzha district recently, making roughly two-thirds of Kerala’s district administration being led by women.
Dr. Renuraj, a native of Kottayam, secured the second rank in the 2014 civil services examination in her first attempt. She is also a medical graduate. Before Renuraj became the district collector in Alappuzha, 9 districts in Kerala were having women collectors, and that itself was a record in Kerala's administrative history.
These women collectors are also popular for their able administration and pro-public attitude. The Kerala Government also recognized their ability as all the three awards for best district collectors were won by women collectors on the occasion of Revenue Day celebrations.
Six of the 10 women collectors are Keralites – Pathanamthitta district collector Divya S. Iyer, Kottayam collector P.K. Jayasree, Idukki collector Sheeba George, Thrissur collector Haritha V. Kumar, and Wayanad collector Geetha A and Allapuzha Collector Dr. Renuraj.
The other four from the Indian Administrative Service hail from other Indian states – Navjot Khosa from Punjab who is the Thiruvananthapuram collector, Afsana Perveen from Jharkhand who is the Kollam collector, Mrunmayee Joshi from Maharashtra who heads the Palakkad district administration, and Bhandari Swagat Ranveerchand, also from Maharashtra, who is the Kasaragod collector.
