Railway Board Gets First-Ever Woman CEO And Chairperson

The Centre today appointed Jaya Verma Sinha as the CEO and Chairperson of the Railway Board, making her the first woman to ever hold that post in the Ministry of Railways' 105-year-old history. 

Ms Sinha, an alumnus of Allahabad University, joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) in 1986 and worked in three railway zones: Northern Railway, South Eastern Railway, and Eastern Railway.

"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," a government statement read.

Ms Sinha will succeed Anil Kumar Lahoti and assume charge on September 1 at the earliest. Her tenure will end on August 31, 2024. Ms Sinha is scheduled to retire on October 1 but will be re-employed on the same day for the remainder of her tenure. 

Ms Sinha was the public face of the railways in the wake of the tragic Balasore accident, that killed nearly 300 people in Odisha, explaining the complex signaling system to the media.

During her four-year tenure as Railway Advisor in the High Commission of India in Dhaka, Bangladesh, she played a key role in the inauguration of the Maitree Express, a train service that connects Kolkata and Dhaka.