Month-Old Baby In Arms, Andhra Pradesh IAS Officer Back At Work

The chief of Visakhapatnam's municipal body has returned to her office in just about three weeks after giving birth to her son. The top officer says it is the call of duty as the country fights the 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.

"I went to 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," Srijana Gummalla, commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, told NDTV.

"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," she said.

The officer said she tries to get home every few hours to breastfeed the baby while keeping him in a safe environment.

Women are entitled to six months of paid maternity leave as per the government rules.

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.

Andhra Pradesh has 427 coronavirus cases. Seven people have died in the state. The overall COVID-19 cases in the country crossed the 9,000-mark, with 308 deaths, according to the latest data from the Union Health Ministry.