Thiruvananthapuram: “Never be defeated, Never give up”, said Pranjal Patil, the country’s first visually challenged woman IAS officer, as she assumed charge as the Sub Collector of Thiruvananthapuram here on Monday. “...we should never be defeated and we should never give up because with our efforts all of us will get that one breakthrough which we want”, the 30-year old Kerala cadre officer told mediapersons here.
Patil, who hails from Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra, had lost her vision when she was just six years old. She cracked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination in 2016 and secured 773rd rank and improved her ranking to 124 the next year.
Patil was appointed Ernakulam Assistant Collector during her training period. A warm reception was arranged to welcome her as she took over from former collector B Gopalakrishnan. She served as an assistant collector in Ernakulam for a year in 2018 before taking charge here.
“I am feeling extremely glad and proud after taking this charge. As I start working I will be able to know more about the district and would plan better for it. I expect support and co-operation from my fellow members and people of Trivandrum,” Patil said while speaking to media.
