Women in charge: Insights from the female collectors steering Telangana's development

Hyderabad: In Telangana, women IAS officers currently head 13 out of the State’s 33 districts. As the State marks International Women’s Day, this administrative presence highlights the active role of women in grassroots governance.

The list of women District Collectors currently serving in the State includes Hari Chandana (Hyderabad), Ila Tripathi (Nizamabad), Khushbu Gupta (Mahbubnagar), Abhilasha Abhinav (Nirmal), Chitra Mishra (Karimnagar), Sneha Shabarish (Mahabubabad), Prathima Singh (Medak), Garima Agrawal (Rajanna Sircilla), K Hymavathi (Siddipet), Satya Sharadha (Warangal), P Pravinya (Sangareddy), Chahat Bajpai (Hanamkonda) and Haritha (Kumuram Bheem Asifabad).

For International Women’s Day, NewsMeter interviewed three of these officers about their paths to the civil services, their current administrative priorities and their messages for fellow women.

In conversation with Khushboo Gupta, District Collector, Mahabubnagar

Khushboo Gupta is an IIT Delhi Computer Science graduate. She received a job offer from Microsoft and considered pursuing a PhD before choosing to join the civil services in August 2019. Initially assigned to the Bihar cadre, she served as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Munger. Later, her cadre was changed to Telangana. She is married to Vikarabad Collector Deepak Tiwari.

Speaking about her motivation to join IAS, Gupta said, “I was exploring my options, but the only thing I had in my mind was that I wanted to be in direct contact with society. I wanted to see the real and physical benefits of my work reaching the people. Civil service is a profession where you see the ground reality.”

In Mahabubnagar, her priority is public outreach and understanding local issues. Her focus will be on women’s education and health, drawing from her previous experience working to reduce anaemia among tribal students in Utnoor.

Sharing her message for Women’s Day, Gupta emphasised the importance of a strong support system.

“I always believe in women supporting women. I can work with a small baby today because my mother, my mother-in-law, my husband and my entire family are supporting me. If that kind of support is built around a woman, she can do things she cannot even imagine. Whenever you see a girl or a woman around you, just support her. Don’t compete. If a woman supports other women, they can do wonderful things,” she said.

In conversation with Ila Tripathi, District Collector, Nizamabad

Before joining the Indian Administrative Service in 2017, Ila Tripathi worked as a financial consultant. She spent three years working across India and in Kenya. Her first posting in the IAS was as an Assistant Collector under training in Bhadradri Kothagudem.

“I was a financial consultant before I joined the service, working in Kenya. I was actually very upset and homesick when I was abroad, so I thought I would come back home. I thought about what the best profile coming back home would be, and what better than government service,” Tripathi explained.

Currently serving as the Collector of Nizamabad, a major agricultural hub, her focus is on farming innovations and market linkages.

“Nizamabad cultivates crops like turmeric and is one of the largest producers in our country. I want to ensure farmers are protected against climate-related distress so that they don’t have to sell below market rates. We are also trying to work on agriculture innovations, connecting the farm produce directly to the market,” she said.

When asked for her message to women, Tripathi encouraged them to overcome self-doubt.

“Women can do anything that they want, and some of the best things in this world are a product of the resolve and resilience of a woman. The only thing that keeps us lagging is self-doubt. Everybody should throw their inhibitions away and not worry about what people will think. Let’s just give it a try. Everything else can wait except your passion and what you are really fond of,” she said.

In conversation with P Pravinya, District Collector, Sangareddy

P Pravinya joined the civil services in 2016. Her first independent posting was as the Zonal Commissioner of the Khairtabad Zone under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

She stated that her motivation to join the IAS was to serve the public and bring a positive change to people’s lives. She noted that the service provides an opportunity to work across diverse sectors at the grassroots level.

Currently serving in Sangareddy, her focus is on executing government policies and improving local infrastructure.

“My priority in Sangareddy district is to implement all government welfare schemes without issues, especially in the housing sector, education sector and women and child welfare sector,” Pravinya said. “We are making special efforts to ensure quality education and good infrastructure in all government educational institutions.”

She kept her message brief and direct.

“Wishing everyone a happy Women’s Day. I hope to see more girls and women being more courageous, dreaming big and working hard to achieve their goals,” she said.