The canvas of responsibility and scope for work is huge for any civil servant, but it carries with it certain expectations and unique challenges if you are a woman. In such a scenario, some of the women bureaucrats not only set examples with their work but also find time to walk that extra mile and help people on a personal level too.
One such wonder woman is former IRS officer Ms. Rashmi Saxena, who retired as the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemption), Delhi. She is currently serving as the Member Secretary in Central Administrative Tribunal, Chandigarh.
During her career in the IRS, she ensured better amenities and facilities for her staff in every posting. Similarly, as Joint Secretary in Women and Child Affairs Ministry, she worked to better equip the Child Helpline number 1098 and also worked closely with Childline in various stages of her career and created a ‘vulnerability map’ which focused on issues related to children only. Besides this, she was the mobilizing force in her department and encouraged colleagues to help the public in numerous natural disasters, be it in Kerala or Odisha.
However, even with such a good profile, she still had to face gender discrimination at many stages of her career. But, she did not sit back and endure it. Rather, she made sure she made sufficient noises against all the wrongdoings. She firmly believes that discrimination can happen to a woman or even a man, if they do not reclaim their space or stand up for themselves.
In this exclusive video interaction, Ms. Saxena talks about gender stereotypes in bureaucracy, how she handled these and how she transitioned from IRS to a judicial role in the Central Administrative Tribunal.
Watch the interview here :
