K. Sunitha may not have joined this service if it was not for the firm resolve of her parents. “I remember when my father was the Collector of Warangal. We stayed in an old Nizam Palace and a lot of underprivileged people would come seeking his help. It seemed like an ideal profession for me. After I completed my degree, I started preparing for the Civil Services exam along with my LLB. I was selected for IRS and IPS but I preferred the administrative service, so I opted for State Civil Service and got promoted as an IAS officer and was allotted the 1996 batch,” says K. Sunitha, Secretary Finance, Andhra Pradesh and the daughter of a retired IAS officer, Kaki Madhava Rao.
Sunitha thinks that financial independence for women is important. “During my field visits to schools, colleges, hostels and my interactions with women self-help groups, I have always stressed upon the importance of women being financially independent. We must not be dependent on our father or husband,” she says. But isn’t her profession male dominated? “In a state like AP, people have a lot of respect for women officers. Politicians are also very polite to them. People perceive women officers to be more straight forward, less corrupt and more trustworthy,” says Sunitha.
Born in Visakhapatnam, Sunitha studied in Hyderabad. “I opted for loop lines in the beginning of my career as I wanted to spend time with my family. Subsequently, I started to work in challenging areas. I was disappointed when I was Collector, Nizamabad, and was transferred without any reason,” she says. “When I had problems, I would discuss them with my husband and father, as they both belong to the same service,” adds Sunitha, who is married to Praveen Kumar, IAS.
“There are times when you cannot take up a particular posting because it would mean leaving your family. I did my Sub-Divisional postings in three different districts within two years. I could not work as PO, ITDA (Project Officer, Integrated Tribal Development Agency), which was a dream posting for me,” says Sunitha, who wants to pursue her PhD after her retirement.
