Srijana Gummalla, a 2013 batch IAScompanion 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, was widely circulated on the social media.
She has decided not only to cut short her maternity leave, she also brought her 1-month-old baby to her office.
She was blessed with a baby boy in mid-March, when a nationwide lockdown was about to be announced to flatten the curve of rising Covid1-19 pandemic in the country.
She was entitled to a six-month of maternity leave. But she refused to take the leave. Neither could she leave her newborn at home so she brought the baby to work, ensuring all safety measures, as she resumed her role.
Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner (GVMC) G Srijana’s image with her one-month-old baby in her offce 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”.
An extraordinary feather of @IASassociation. 2013 batch IAS Mrs @GummallaSrijana Commissioner @GVMC_OFFICIAL refused to take 06 months maternal leave and joined back her office with one month old baby in lap. Truly inspiring to all #CoronaWarriors #COVID__19 pic.twitter.com/mzbPsUyTco
— Dr. Chiguru Prashanth (@prashantchiguru) April 11, 2020
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.
Taking notice of her effort, the IAS association also 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”
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.#CoronaWarriorshttps://t.co/DyP3s0uU2z pic.twitter.com/2HlpvZU9pC— IAS Association (@IASassociation) April 11, 2020
Why did she decide to cut short of her maternity leave? Because, she knoew that the country is going through a difficult times, and as responsible and key official, she would have to be at the forefront of battle against the pandemic.
“I went to office in the morning and my son was born in the evening. Today, with the coronavirus outbreak, the circumstances are such. I requested the Chief Minister to allow me to rejoin and he asked me if I was completely sure. I am grateful that he allowed me,” Srijana Gummalla, commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, she said.
“It is like a call of duty for me. As a human being, it is my response to be of some help to the administration. I felt that this is the time we should all stand together and be of strength to each other,” she said.
When asked about how she was able to care for her newborn along with her official duties, Srijana said that she had ample support from her lawyer-husband and her mother.
When asked about how she was able to care for her newborn along with her official duties, Srijana said that she had ample support from her lawyer-husband and her mother.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat praised the officer and expressed gratitude for attending to the “call of duty”.
“The country is fortunate to have such corona warriors. My heartfelt gratitude for this living example of commitment to duty,” Mr Shekhawat tweeted in Hindi, along with the IAS officer and her baby’s photo.
(This is fourth part of the special series on Government officials role in combating the covid 19. Click to read the full series.)
(If you have a good story about a government officer combating the Covid 19 pandemic through innovative approach, please share with us at healthwirenewsbank@gmail.com.)
