IAS Officer Walks Barefoot Through Mud To Inspect Flood-Hit Areas Of Assam, Netizens Shower Praise

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Keerthi Jalli has become an internet sensation after her pictures visiting flood-hit areas in Assam's Cachar district went viral on social media.

In the number of pictures and videos, Jalli can be seen walking barefoot through the muddled waters in the flood-affected area and interacting with locals devastated by the natural calamity.

Awanish Sharan, a 2009-batch IAS officer, shared an image of the officer posted in Assam and applauded her efforts. The picture showed Ms Jalli, with her muddied feet, smiling as she's standing in a boat alongside another woman, NDTV reported. The post has garnered over 50,000 likes so far.

In another viral video, the lady officer was heard saying to a local, "No need for clean water, give me flood water to clean my feet."

Netizens Impressed With The Gesture

Netizens have heaped praises on the IAS officer for her commitment to work and reaching out to those who have been severely affected. Some users also shared other photos of Ms Jalli, either wading through mud or walking through a slippery stretch to reach out to local people.

The news had come at a time when an IAS couple Sanjeev Khirwar and his wife, Rinku Dugga, used to walk their dog at a government-run stadium in Delhi, leading to the closure of sporting activities at the facility earlier than usual. Both the officers have been transferred to different states.

Who Is IAS Keerthi Jalli?

Jalli was the first female Deputy Commissioner of southern Assam's Hailakandi district since it was formed in 1989, WION reported.

Before this, she was also heavily involved in a number of campaigns in the area, such as raising awareness for menstrual hygiene. The officer has also received a lot of awards for her work.

Thousands Affected By Floods

Meanwhile, Cachar has been badly hit by the recent floods in Assam. Thousands of people are still sheltered in temporary relief camps across the district. The deputy commissioner inspected various flood-affected areas on May 25.

Over 1,63,000 persons across 291 villages have come under flood this year. More than 11,000 houses have been damaged while 5,915 hectares of crop area went submerged in Cachar, Hindustan Times reported.

At least 5,00,852 persons are suffering due to the floods in Cachar, Dima Hasao, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Hojai, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Morigaon and Nagaon districts. However, over five lakh people continued to suffer in the deluge in ten state districts, Mint reported.

The toll due to flood and landslides in the state remained at 30, with no death reports in the last 24 hours. At present, 799 villages are still submerged, and 35,384.12 hectares of crop areas have been damaged.

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