Inspiring stories of five visually-challenged IAS officers to know about
What's the story
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the most prestigious and sought-after Civil Service of the country. IAS officers are recruited through UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) and cracking it isn't easy as many spend years preparing to clear it. However, there are some candidates who cleared CSE and went on to become IAS officers despite being visually challenged. Here are five visually-impaired IAS officers.
#1
Krishna Gopal Tiwari, the first visually-challenged collector in India
Krishna Gopal Tiwari is a 2008-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre. In 2014, he became the first ever visually-challenged District Collector in the country. He had secured AIR-142 in CSE-2008, battling visual impairment and extreme economic hardships to clear the coveted exam. He is currently the Director of Department of Social Justice and Disabled Welfare (DSJDW) of the Madhya Pradesh government.
#2
Pranjal Patil, India's first visually impaired woman IAS officer
Pranjal Patil is a 2017-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre. In 2018, she became the country's first visually impaired woman IAS officer when she took charge as the Assistant Collector of Kerala's Ernakulam district. Pranjal, who hails from Maharashtra's Ulhasnagar, lost her vision when she was just six years old. She first cracked CSE-2016 with AIR-773 and later secured AIR-124 in CSE-2017.
#3
Ajit Kumar Yadav became an IAS officer after 3-year battle
Ajit Kumar Yadav, a 2012-batch IAS officer, lost vision at the age of five due to acute diarrhea. He appeared for CSE in 2008 and bagged AIR-208. While he was expecting to be accepted into IAS, he was instead offered a place in Indian Railway Personnel Service. However, he fought against discrimination and received the appointment letter in 2012 after a long battle.
#4
IAS officer Aman Gupta is 90% blind
Aman Gupta is an IAS officer of the 2013 batch from the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories) cadre who is currently posted in New Delhi. He suffers from a rare eye disease called "juvenile macular degeneration" due to which he is 90% blind. He prepared using audio books but failed to clear UPSC CSE-2011. However, he devoted more time and secured AIR-57 in CSE-2012.
#5
IAS officer Rajesh Singh of the 2007 batch
Rajesh Singh is a 2007-batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Rajesh, who lost his eyesight at six years, cleared CSE in 2007, but he received the appointment letter in 2010 after approaching the Supreme Court. He even wrote a book titled I: Putting the Eye in IAS, which was released in 2016, about a visually-challenged IAS aspirant, reflecting his own struggles at different stages.