There are countless stories of women scaling new heights in various walks of life. In this story, we are going to talk about India's first visually challenged IAS officer who fought against all odds to become a woman sub-collector.
On Monday, October 14, Pranjal Patil took charge as a sub-collector of Thiruvananthapuram. Patil was received at the Collectorate by a few senior officials on her arrival.
The woman IAS officer, who hails from Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra, has lost her vision when she was 6-years-old after her eyes were exposed to direct sunlight. This incident did not demotivate her, rather she decided to prepare for the UPSC. Pranjal Patil was 26 when she decided to get a software which would read the books for her.
After Patil cleared her civil services exam in 2016, she got a job in the Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS), but she was not able to fit in as her vision was nil.
Patil told Financial Express that this was a big setback for her. She then redoubled her efforts while preparing for the civil services the next year.
Patil, who is a political science graduate, draws inspiration from physicist Stephen Hawking. She completed her Masters in international relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University and her MPhil and PhD from there itself.
Finally, Patil secured the 124th rank in UPSC in 2017.
The woman IAS officer then took charge as the Assistant Collector of Ernakulam district in Kerala in 2018.
In a related incident, Rohini, a 32-year-old IAS officer, became the first woman collector of Salem district in Tamil Nadu in 2017.
You inspire us every day, Pranjal Patil!
