At a time of intense debate over 33% reservation for women, Chhattisgarh has emerged as an example of gender representation in the state’s public administration.After the latest administrative reshuffle announced by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday, the state now has 12 women District Collectors out of 33 districts.That translates to over 36% women’s representation at the District-Collector level.The latest appointments made on Tuesday are Jayashree Jain as Collector of Sakti district and Tanuja Salam as Collector of Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki.“We now have 12 women Collectors in 33 districts, more than one-third of the state’s districts,” CM Sai said.The reshuffle also saw Tulika Prajapati, already serving as a Collector, being transferred to Kabirdham district.The development is significant because the Collector is the administrative face of the government at the district level, responsible for coordinating development programmes, revenue administration, law and order, and delivery of public services.The latest appointments build on a broader administrative shift initiated earlier this year.In May, the Vishnu Deo Sai government had placed women officers in charge of 10 districts, including areas once affected by Left wing extremism such as Bemetara, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Surajpur, Balrampur-Ramanujganj, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Balod, Koriya, Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur and Sarangarh-Bilaigarh.An analysis of the appointments announced on Tuesday shows the push for women’s representation is also visible at the secretariat level.Niharika Barik, a senior IAS officer, will now head Home and Jail Department as Principal Secretary, a position that oversees one of the state’s most critical administrative portfolios.The latest reshuffle involved 22 IAS officers and one Indian Forest Service officer, and is significant beyond a routine exercise in administrative postings.Six districts — Kanker, Mungeli, Sakti, Kabirdham, Gariaband and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki — have new Collectors. Women officers have been posted in Sakti, Kabirdham and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki. Other important postings for women in the same order include Roma Srivastava, IAS, as Chief Executive Officer, District Panchayat, Surguja; Akansha Shikha, IAS, as Director, Sports and Youth Welfare; and Leena Kosam, IAS, as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Durg.“For us, the growing presence of women in senior administrative positions is consistent with our emphasis on Nari Shakti and women-centric governance,” CM Vishnu Deo Sai said.The state has also designated 2026 as ‘Mahtari Gaurav Varsh’, underlining the government’s focus on women’s dignity, participation and empowerment.