Andhra Pradesh IAS officer returns to work a month after giving birth

Srijana Gummalla, the commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, returned to her office in just a month after giving birth to her baby.

The top officer said it was the call of duty as the country fights coronavirus pandemic that motivated her to get back to work as soon as possible. 

The 2013-batch IAS officer, who was seen in photos sitting in her office with the baby cradled in her arms, won her high praise on social media.

"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," Srijana Gummalla, commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, said.

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.

"She returned to her work with her 1-month-old baby in hand to duty. The crisis made her to answer the call of duty. Nation is lucky to have such corona warriors," BJP leader BL Santhosh tweeted.