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'Are You The Collector!' Meet IAS Priyanka Shukla, Who Quit Her Job As MBBS Doctor To Answer This Taunt
Writer: Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
India, 11 Jun 2022 12:48 PM GMT | Updated 11 Jun 2022 1:24 PM GMT
Editor : Snehadri Sarkar |
While he is a massive sports fanatic, his interest also lies in mainstream news and nitpicking trending and less talked about everyday issues.
Creatives : Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
On a visit to a slum area, Shukla had seen a woman drinking dirty, unclean water and giving the same to her kids. She insisted the woman not to drink that water, but the woman ignored her and later asked if she was the collector to give that advice.
Priyanka Shukla had just finished her MBBS from King George Medical College in Lucknow in 2006 when she decided that she wants to become an IAS officer. Her parents had wanted her to become an IAS officer earlier, with her father saying that he wants her name along with the title of Collector on the nameplate outside their house, but she pushed to become a doctor. The turning point? A taunt from a woman in a slum area.
Now, Shukla has received accolades for her ground-level initiatives in the field of education and social issues in the tribal-dominated areas of Chattisgarh. She has led many campaigns for the betterment of the community, and to create opportunities for the people there. Her story has also been shared by people, including Vedant Birla, Chairman and MD of Birla Precision Technologies Ltd, because of how inspiring one epiphany can be.
Switch From MBBS To IAS
After finishing her MBBS, she started practising in Lucknow itself. Always focused on the needy, she made routine visits to nearby slums and villages, giving the inhabitants advice on how to keep their health in check, as reported by The Business Standard.
On a visit to a slum area for a checkup, she had seen a woman drinking dirty, unclean water, and giving the same to her kids as well. She insisted the woman not drink water from that source, but the woman ignored her advice. On being asked about the indifference, the woman asked Shukla if she was the collector to give that advice.
That one line was apparently an epiphany to Shukla, and she decided that if she really wanted to make a difference, she needed to be able to answer that question, and become an IAS officer.
Journey Of Becoming A Bureaucrat
Even after one failed attempt, Shukla kept preparing for the UPSC examinations and finally cleared it in 2009. She was assigned a cadre in the Chattisgarh district.
She is currently posted as the Special Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, with the added responsibility of Director, Urban Administration and Development in the Chattisgarh Government. She was the Joint Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department before this posting.
She was earlier the Collector of Jashpur, a tribal-dominated district in Chattisgarh. Children and students there never looked beyond the position of clerks as career paths, but Shukla had used her authority to help them dream bigger than that.
She has been felicitated twice by the former president late Pranab Mukherjee, for recognition for her effort during the 2011 Census and the Rashtrapati Award for her work in literacy. She continues to receive praise for her work and campaigns, even on social media, where she is quite active.
Some moments are etched in memories forever!
— Priyanka Shukla (@PriyankaJShukla) August 31, 2020
Like getting felicitated twice in a year by the then Hon'ble President of India..Shri #PranabMukherjee
..esp when he could personally recognize me..the second time!
You will always be in our memories 🙏🏻🙏🏻#RIPSir pic.twitter.com/SWl3uLQRBg
'Sach Honge Sapne'
Shukla launched an initiative to help the children in the district aim higher, called "Sach Honge Sapne". Shukla has said this initiative had been conceptualised to motivate young girls to pursue a dream in civil services. Under this initiative, a bright girl got to spend an entire day with Shukla, the District Collector, on the third and fourth Monday of every month.
During the day, the young girl was allowed to be present in all meetings, file movements, decision-making, discussions with department heads, and the common public that went on. She further received career counselling, personalised guidance, and support from the Collector so that they can move forward with confidence. Shukla has added that she is inspired by many of them, as they work extremely hard.
Monday was her choice as that's the day she gets to go over many of her responsibilities as the Collector. Shukla has said that the problem-solving that comes with public grievances and review meetings of departments becomes both a challenge and a learning experience for the child.
'Dream 30' And Other Initiatives
Shukla also took up the responsibility of boosting opportunities for students from economically weaker sections of society. In an initiative called "Dream 30", launched in 2016, she ensured that 30 students, who come from tribal families, get good and quality education till Class 10.
Around 200 had applied under the scheme, and 30 of them were selected. Two of the selected in the first batch were among the Class 10 toppers in Chattisgarh board exams and four secured grades above 96 per cent.
Shukla, in July 2016, had started another initiative, 'Yashaswi Jashpur', under Mission Sankalp, to spread quality education opportunities, using funds from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Trust. Exam results are proof that the better-developed education system and a more comprehensive schedule have helped children tremendously, as reported by the New Indian Express.
In 2017, around 20 rescued victims of trafficking were sent to Vigyan Ashram in Pune to do a course in baking, after which they became proud co-owners of the "Beti Zindabad Bakery", under the Jeevan Swasahayata Samuh scheme. Shukla, who was the District Magistrate of Jashpur at the time, said that as a lady collector, seeing each girl of Jashpur standing on her feet was a dream of hers, as reported by the Indian Express.
In the second phase of Sach Honge Sapne, she included boys who had dreams of civil service in the project. The young boys got the chance to spend the day with Zilla Panchayat CEO, an IAS officer, and the Superintendent of Police, an IPS officer. She has also done a lot to make areas in Chattisgarh Open Defecation Free (ODF) along with launching campaigns to increase voter turnout and participation in elections.
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