There are very few people who understand the importance of duty and are ready to sacrifice comfort and joys of life for the nation. One such chivalrous lady is SrijanaGummalla, the chief of Visakhapatnam's municipal body. The 2013 batch IAS officer was working till the last day of her labour and her son was born in the evening.
Within 3-weeks of maternity leave, she requested to resume her duties as she felt that duty is more important than motherhood when the nation is fighting against Coronavirus. Social media accounts are flooded with appreciation and photographs of the officer cradling her son in her arms while attending calls in the office.
SrijanaGummalla, the chief of Visakhapatnam's municipal body told NDTV, “I went to the 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,"
She further added, “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.”
Women are entitled to six-month maternity leave post delivery, but the officer refused to extend her leave for more than 3 weeks because of the epidemic. She goes home for a few hours to breastfeed the baby and give her a safe environment, but is ever available on call or in person every day.
The Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also praised the officer and expressed gratitude. He even tweeted the officer’s photograph with a post in Hindi stating, “The country is fortunate to have such corona warriors. My heartfelt gratitude for this living example of commitment to duty.”
Currently, there are more than 900 positive cases in Andhra Pradesh and seven deaths. Extreme measures are being taken to curb the situation and flatten the curve.
