E-Paper
Sangam city’s Jaya Sinha is Railway Board’s first woman head
The Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet announced her appointment on August 31 and her term in office began on Friday. Her tenure will end on August 31, 2024.
In a first, Sangam city’s Jaya Verma Sinha has been appointed as the first woman CEO and chairperson of the Railway Board in the 166-year history of the Indian Railways.
The Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet announced her appointment on August 31 and her term in office began on Friday. Her tenure will end on August 31, 2024. Sinha was scheduled to retire on October 1 but will be re-employed on the same day for the remainder of her tenure, officials said.
The 118-year-old Railway Board is the top decision-making body for Indian Railways. In her new role, Sinha, who succeeds Anil Kumar Lahoti, will be responsible for overseeing the overall transportation of freight and passenger services.
Born and brought up in Prayagraj, Sinha spent her childhood at her home located in Baghambari Housing scheme in Allahpur and completed her schooling from St Mary’s Convent Inter College. She went on to do her BSc Honours (Physics) as well as her post-graduation in Psychology from Allahabad University (AU).
“It is a moment of pride for the entire AU fraternity as one of our illustrious alumnae has been appointed as chairperson of the Railway Board. The fact that she is the first woman to be appointed to this top post is an additional fact for us to be proud of,” said AU’s vice-chancellor Prof Sangita Srivastava, herself the first woman V-C of AU.
Sinha’s father, VB Varma, served as an IAS officer while her mother, Savitri Varma, an active social worker, encouraged her to aim big.
She is a keen birdwatcher and photographer with an interest in music and loves listening to Kishore Kumar hits.
Sinha is married to Niraj Sinha, a senior IPS officer who is now serving as DG (Civil Defence) in Patna, Bihar.
Sinha’s family still resides in Allahpur and Civil Lines localities of Prayagraj. “We are delighted at her appointment as the new chairperson of Railway Board,” said Sinha’s elder brother, Jaydeep Verma, a former chief general manager of UPSRTC.
Prior to her appointment as CEO, Sinha had held the post of additional member of traffic transportation on the Railway Board.
Sinha’s journey with the Indian Railways began in 1988 when she joined as an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer. Over the course of her 35-year career, she has served in various capacities, including operations, information technology, commercial, and vigilance.
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.
