Meet Sreedhanya Suresh, Who Makes History As Keralam’s First Tribal Woman District Collector
Kasaragod, Keralam: Sreedhanya Suresh, IAS, has taken charge as the District Collector of Kasaragod, becoming the first woman from a Scheduled Tribe community to head a district in Keralam.
She assumed office on September 16, taking over from Arjun Pandian at the Kasaragod Collectorate.
A 2019-batch IAS officer, Sreedhanya belongs to the Kurichya community and grew up in a tribal settlement in Pozhuthana panchayat in Wayanad.
Her father, Suresh, worked as a daily-wage labourer, while her mother, Kamala, worked under the rural employment scheme.
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She studied in Malayalam-medium government schools in Thariyode before pursuing Zoology at St Joseph’s College, Devagiri, Kozhikode, and postgraduate studies at the University of Calicut.
Sreedhanya cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2018 with an All India Rank of 410, becoming the first woman from a tribal community in Keralam to clear the examination.
Her interest in the civil services developed while she was working with the Scheduled Tribes Development Department in Wayanad.
An interaction with then Mananthavady Sub-Collector Sriram Sambasiva Rao left a lasting impression on her and encouraged her to pursue the civil services.
After joining the Kerala cadre, Sreedhanya served as Assistant Collector in Kozhikode and later as Sub-Collector in Perinthalmanna.
She also held senior responsibilities in the Registration Department and served as Commissioner of Food Safety before her latest posting.
The Keralam government’s recent IAS reshuffle appointed her as Kasaragod Collector.
Speaking after taking charge, Sreedhanya said Kasaragod has considerable potential in tourism, agriculture and industry.
She also said she would work with government departments and the people of the district to address its challenges and advance development projects.
