Anna Rajam Malhotra

Anna Rajam George (née Malhotra) (born July 17, 1927) was the first female Indian Administrative Service officer of India. She belonged to the 1951 batch of the IAS and was married to R. N. Malhotra, her batchmate. She was born in 1927 in Niranam, Alleppey as the daughter of Ottavelil O. A. George and Anna Paul. She was the granddaughter of Malayalam author Pailo Paul. She grew up in Calicut and completed her intermediate from Providence Women's College and bachelor's degree ftom Malabar Christian College in Calicut. In 1949 she obtained her master's in English literature from Madras University. She passed the civil services examination in 1950. Her first posting as a civil servant was in Madras State and reportedly chief minister C. Rajagopalachari was sceptical about giving a woman the charge of a district sub collector and instead offered her a post in the Secretariat. She did not comply and was eventually posted as a sub collector in Madras State, becoming the first woman to do so. She was also the first Malayali woman to hold a secretarial post in the central government. She was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1989.