The government appointed Jaya Verma Sinha as the first woman Chairperson of the Railway Board, the top decision-making body for the Ministry of Railways.
Ms. Sinha is the first ever woman to head the Board in its 118-year-old history. The Railway Board came into effect in 1905.
She will assume office on or after September 1, and before this she was the Member (Operations and Business Development). She was at the forefront while handling the aftermath of the tragic Balasore accident which killed 291 people.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Jaya Verma Sinha, Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS), Member (Operations & Business Development), Railway Board to the post of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board,” an order said.
Her tenure will be till August 31, 2024.
Ms. Sinha was earlier slated to retire on October 1, but she will be re-employed the same day till her tenure gets over. She succeeds Anil Kumar Lahoti.
Ms. Sinha is an Alumnus of the Allahabad University. She joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service in 1988 and worked in the Northern Railway, South Eastern Railway and Eastern Railway. She has also served in Centre for Railway Electrification (CORE).
She also worked as Railway Advisor in the High Commission of India, Dhaka, Bangladesh for four years. The Maitree Express from Kolkata to Dhaka was inaugurated during her tenure in Bangladesh. She also worked as the Divisional Railway Manager, Eastern Railway, Sealdah Division.
(With agency inputs)
