Vice President Radhakrishnan hopes rising participation of women in Parliament

New Delhi: Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Tuesday praised the rising participation of women in civil services and hoped the trend would soon extend to Parliament and state legislatures.

Addressing Civil Services Day celebrations, he noted that women’s representation in civil services has grown from 21 per cent in 2016 to nearly 31 per cent in 2025.

“Civil services toppers are increasingly women. We have come a long way,” he said, highlighting women now serving as police commissioners, district collectors, and SPs across districts.He described this as a powerful testament to ‘narishakti’, where talent overcomes stereotypes and determination defeats obstacles.

“I am hopeful that we will see similar transformation in the composition of the Parliament and the state legislatures too in the future,” he said.

His comments came following the recent defeat of The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 — intended to implement a 33 per cent quota for women in legislatures after carrying out a delimitation exercise and increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats — in the Lower House.

In his address to the civil servants, the vice president said that a few decades ago, very few women were appointed as district magistrates or police commissioners.

“Even when they were there, their presence was limited to just a handful. But today, the reality has changed significantly,” he said.

The vice president said that by focusing on last-mile delivery and staying responsive to ground realities, the civil servants “make governance more inclusive, more effective and more impactful”.

Radhakrishnan said that planning an initiative or welfare programme can be done in Delhi, but its results can only be seen in a remote village when it is implemented in the real sense.

The country has achieved several milestones in the last decade and Bharat now occupies a place of pride at the global level, he said.

On recent technological changes, he said that they are game changers and they will serve as a useful tool for all of us in our own line of work.

The vice president asked the civil servants to embrace newer technologies such as AI, machine learning and blockchain, among others, as they offer opportunities for improving efficiency, transparency and citizen service delivery.

“Now, we have entered the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and other new emerging technologies. Today, as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, I am leveraging digital platforms to conduct the house proceedings more effectively. We cannot keep away from modern technological changes,” he said.