Breaking Barriers: Jaya Verma Sinha, India’s First Female CEO and Chairperson of the Indian Railway Board
As the very first woman to hold the prestigious positions of CEO and Chairperson of the Indian Railway Board, the highest decision-making body for the country’s transporter, Jaya Verma Sinha has made history. She superseded Anil Kumar Lahoti in this position on Friday, signaling a significant turning point in the 166-year existence of the Indian Railways
Verma worked as an officer of Operations and Business Development for the governing body prior to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet’s approval of her promotion. Her duties included managing passenger and commercial transportation services. Her management of briefings for the media after a train accident in Odisha’s Balasore region, which sadly resulted in 295 fatalities and over 1,200 injured, earned her praise during this time.
Verma made the courageous decision to work for the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) in 1988, despite receiving the highest score possible on the civil service test. At the time, there were relatively few women working in this profession. After completing her training, she was hired by Northern Railway’s Allahabad Branch as the Divisional Commercial Manager, whereby the quality of her work was highly recognized.
Verma also contributed through her work with CRIS, which was crucial in bolstering the IT infrastructure of the Railways. She was also a key contributor to the creation of the Freight Operations Information System. Particularly, she was the first woman to be selected as South Eastern Railway’s Principal Chief Operations Officer.
Verma assumed leadership of the Indian Railways at a crucial juncture, and the organization is currently undergoing a rapid advancement phase characterized by significant projects like the development of new lines, station renovations, geared freight corridors, Vande Bharat trains, as well as the creation of the country’s first bullet train corridor. Her mission involves making sure that these improvements are completed on time as well as giving railroad safety the utmost importance.
‘Jaya Verma Sinha’ Article By Debanjana Talukdar
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