SSC
Who became the first woman Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — N. Kalaiselvi
Detailed Solution
Kalaiselvi. Dr. Nallathamby Kalaiselvi became the first woman Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in August 2022.
About N. Kalaiselvi:
- She is from Ambasamudram, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
- She studied in Tamil-medium schools and later earned a PhD in electrochemistry.
- She is a scientist specialising in electrochemical power systems, especially lithium-ion batteries and other energy storage devices.
She spent most of her career at the CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI) in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu. In 2019, she became the first woman Director of CECRI.
As Director-General of CSIR, she also serves as the Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR).
She has worked on India's National Mission for Electric Mobility and on developing indigenous battery technology.
About the CSIR:
- It was set up in September 1942.
- Its President is the Prime Minister of India.
- Its first Director-General was Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar.
- It runs a network of about 37 national laboratories.
Other pioneering Indian women scientists:
- Tessy Thomas: the "Missile Woman of India"; the first woman to head a missile project (Agni-IV) at DRDO.
- Gagandeep Kang: a virologist; the first Indian woman to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (2019).
- Soumya Swaminathan: a paediatrician; she was the first Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization (2019-2022).
- Ritu Karidhal and Muthayya Vanitha: led important ISRO missions (Chandrayaan-2).
- Janaki Ammal: botanist; the first Indian woman to receive a PhD in botany in the USA.
- Asima Chatterjee: organic chemist; the first woman General President of the Indian Science Congress (1975).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Tessy Thomas is a DRDO missile scientist.
- ✗Gagandeep Kang is a virologist and the first Indian woman FRS.
- ✗Soumya Swaminathan was the first Chief Scientist of the WHO.
Quick tip
Remember: first woman DG of CSIR = N. Kalaiselvi (2022; lithium-ion battery expert; earlier first woman Director of CSIR-CECRI, Karaikudi); Tessy Thomas = "Missile Woman"; Gagandeep Kang = first Indian woman FRS.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Famous Personalities & Founders Questions
View all ›More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Famous Personalities & Founders — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Famous Personalities & Founders, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous personalities from India and the world: leaders, reformers, scientists, entrepreneurs and their nicknames, along with the founders of organisations, companies, institutions, religions and movements. Questions often use popular titles such as 'Iron Man of India' (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) or 'Nightingale of India' (Sarojini Naidu), or ask who founded an organisation, such as the Ramakrishna Mission (Swami Vivekananda). Grouping people by field and by title makes revision faster and helps you spot wrong options. Practise the famous personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.