A braveheart IAS officer Srijana Gummalla was in labour when a nationwide lockdown was on the cards due to the rising cases of coronavirus in the country. She gave birth to a baby boy a month ago. However, with the increase in COVID-19 cases, the new mother had to return to work in just 22 days of giving birth. The officer refused to take her statutory six-month maternity leave and returned to work. Neither could she leave her newborn at home so she brought the baby to work, ensuring all safety measures, as she resumed her role.
IAS officer and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner (GVMC), Srijana’s companion at work - just a month-old baby went viral on social media. Her pictures holding her newborn baby in her arms while working in her office is making netizens happy.
Key Takeaways:
- IAS officer Srijana Gummalla, a 2013 batch IAS, returned to work and has now joined the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
- The Corona warrior returned to work within 22 days of giving birth to a baby boy.
- Cutting short her maternity break, Srijana also brought her nearly 1-month-old baby to work.
- As per reports, Srijana passed out with the 2013 IAS batch and is currently serving as Commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) in Andhra Pradesh.
READ: She drives an auto, aims for the IAS: Yellamma from Bengaluru
The image was circulated by Twitter user Chiguru Prashanth Kumar who captioned: "An extraordinary feather of @IASassociation. 2013 batch IAS Mrs @GummallaSrijana Commissioner @GVMC_OFFICIALnrefused to take 06 months maternal leave and joined back her office with one month old baby in lap. Truly inspiring to all #CoronaWarriors".
Precautions for the baby
Srijana responded to the tweet with gratitude and stated that she was taking all the necessary precautions to ensure the baby was properly cared for even at work. "Thanks for the kind words Prashanth garu," she wrote in response. "Taking every precaution with baby. I keep the baby with me in a very protected environment for feeding and nurturing," she further added.
Meanwhile, the IAS association hailed her effort and tweeted, "Young #IAS Officers leading #fightagainstcorona.
GVMC Visakhapatnam Commissioner, Ms Gummalla Srijana @GummallaSrijana joined back on duty with one month old baby without maternity leave to serve the City. #CoronaWarriors"
Speaking to Hindustan Times, she said that she is lucky that she has supporting husband and mother.
My role is just a small part in this humongous effort, rather modestly. My whole family gave me the strength to work towards this commitment.
When asked about the nature of the work effort being put up to curb the virus menace, Srijana said, “GVMC is taking all efforts to ensure sanitary work was being done at the field level. Providing essential needs to the poor and coordinating with district officials at all levels to ensure that virus was contained in Visakhapatnam is part of her work.”
Not all heroes wear capes.
Also read: Migrant Workers On The Move: Harsh Reality Of COVID-19 Lockdown
Feature Image Credits: Twitter
Read More Stories By Ria Das
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