Corona warrior: This Andhra IAS officer refuses maternity leave, back at work with month-old baby in arms

IAS Officer G Srijana gave up her maternity leave of six months and resumed work within a month of giving birth to a baby. A picture of her holding a baby in one arm and answering the call of duty with the other has gone viral.

Amid coronavirus pandemic, the frontline worriers are placing their duty above anything else under the current Covid-19 circumstances. One such example of a 'corona warrior' is Srijana Gummalla IAS Officer and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner (GVMC). The chief gave up her maternity leave of six months and resumed work within just 22 days of giving birth to a baby.

A picture of the 2013-batch IAS officer has taken the social media by storm where she is seen sitting in her office, answering the call of duty while she is rocking her one-month-old baby in one arm. The chief garnered praises from netizens and leaders of the country for cutting short her maternity leave and resuming work during the times of coronavirus.

'It is like a call of duty for me': Officer reacts

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

During the nationwide lockdown, Srijana was blessed with a baby boy a month ago and she decided to take up her responsibilities despite her six months of maternity leave.

On being asked how was she able to balance between her official duties and also take care of her newborn, she said that she is blessed with a supportive family which includes her lawyer-husband and her mother. She further added that it was important for her to be at work during the coronavirus pandemic as her services were required during these difficult times.

Netizens hailed the officer for this brave move and expressed gratitude for attending to the "call of duty" Meanwhile, the IAS association hailed her effort and said, "Young #IAS Officers leading #fightagainstcorona. "GVMC Visakhapatnam Commissioner, Ms Gummalla Srijana joined back on duty with a one-month-old baby without maternity leave to serve the City. #CoronaWarriors"

According to the latest data from the Union Health Ministry, Currently, the total number of positive cases in Andra Pradesh is 427 with seven deaths. India's total tally has surged to 9,000 with 308 deaths.

(With inputs from wires)