https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

When a Serving Collector Finds his Photo on a Postage Stamp

By opening more than 31 thousand `Sukanya’ accounts (for betterment of girl children) in less than 40 days, a remarkable feat by any yardstick, the efforts made by District Collector Katni in Madhya Pradesh Mr. Priyank Mishra and his team have come for a high applause. Duly recognising it, the India Post has issued a commemorative stamp honouring Mr. Mishra and one of his team members.
Indian Masterminds Stories

In a very rare if not unprecedented move, the India Post Department recently issued commemorative stamps carrying photographs of a young IAS officer and his junior colleague for coming in the aid of thousands of girl children in the Katni district of Madhya Pradesh.

The officials whose faces adorn the stamps are Katni District CollectorMr Priyank Mishra, and District Programme Officer (Women and Child Development) Mr. Nayan Singh. The two, along with their various team members, opened Sukanya accounts of as many as 31,904 girls under the `Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana’, and that too within a short span of 40 days.

Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan lavished praise on the two for this achievement. He tweeted: “I congratulate Katni district collector Priyank Mishra and District Program Officer, Women and Child Development Department, Nayan Singh, who have performed excellently by opening maximum number of Sukanya accounts in Madhya Pradesh. For this achievement, a postage stamp with his photograph has also been issued by the Department of Posts.”

THE SUKANYA SCHEME

The Sukanya Samriddhi Account (Girl Child Prosperity Account) is a Government of India-backed saving scheme targeted at the parents of girl children. The scheme encourages parents to build a fund for the future education and marriage expenses for their female child. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 January 2015 as a part of the `Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign. It currently provides an interest rate of 7.6% (for the Apr-July 2021 quarter) and other tax benefits.

While speaking to Indian Masterminds, Mr. Priyank Mishra said “The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana has been running for a few years now, and commercial banks and India Post (which has opened avenues in form of banks) are encouraging more and more bank accounts to be opened in the name of the girl child in families.’’

Sukanya Samridhi Yojana

The district administration of Katni, taking cognisance of this scheme’s importance, took this project up and encouraged its team to communicate benefits of the scheme to parents in the city and every village of Katni district.”

The scheme was rolled out in the whole of Katni district from 22 February till 31 March 2021 in which 31,904 accounts were opened, with an initial deposit of Rs 250. Among these, there were 1856 girls whose parents did not have enough funds to open a Sukanya account.

Mr. Mishra said, “Our team of around 3500 Anganwadi karyakartas and sahayikas worked, and went far and beyond to show people how this scheme benefits their girls in the long run.”

A POSTAL STAMP FOR THE COLLECTOR

With such a large number of accounts being opened under the `Sukanya Samriddhi’ Scheme, and that too in a short span of just over a month, the India Postal Department recognized the efforts and issued postal stamps carrying photos of IAS officer Priyank Mishra and his junior colleague Nayan Singh. As the postal department also is involved in securing the accounts of many people living in villages and far-flung areas – where they still depend upon postal services for important transactions- it helped in accelerating the scheme in the district. Releasing commemorative stamps for Mr. Mishra and Mr. Singh, therefore, became an attractive choice for the postal department.

Postal stamps carrying photos of the Collector and his junior colleague

While speaking about this honor, Mr. Mishra said “I am honoured that working in the capacity of a civil servant, and as the current District Collector of Katni, a recognition of this sort has been bestowed on me. I am humbled, and accept this honour on behalf of my entire team of officers, supervisors, `anganwadi’ workers and `sahaayikas’ who worked enough to make this a one-of-its-kind feat. Due credit must be given to district program officer WCD, Mr Nayan Singh, and Mr. P N Pandey who initiated this with me and worked to make this effort a success.”

On Friday, Post Master Katni, Mr Narayan Singh and Assistant Superintendent Mr RR Patel handed over the postal stamps to Mr Priyank Mishra in the Collectorate.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
mp
MP’s ₹3 Lakh Crore Infrastructure Boom: 255 km Greenfield Highway, ₹5,500 Cr Tiger Corridor Among Key Road Projects
FINNOVATION 2025
SBI & IIT Guwahati Celebrate FINNOVATION 2025 Winners in Gurugram, Empowering Young Innovators to Solve Banking Challenges
nitish-kumar
Bihar: CM Nitish Kumar Inaugurates Rs 44 Crore Six-Lane Pull-Up Ramp in Patna, Aims to Ease Traffic Congestion- Know More
CM yogi
UP: CM Yogi Inaugurates Two New Kalyan Mandaps in Gorakhpur, Emphasizes Accessible Celebration Spaces- Full Details Inside
CISF
National Security at Risk: Centre Opposes Supreme Court Ruling Curtailing IPS Deputation in CAPFs, Says IPS Presence is Crucial
sbk-singh-1753948795
IPS SBK Singh Appointed as Delhi’s New DG of Prisons After Brief Police Commissioner Stint
D
PNB Housing Finance Appoints D. Surendran as Non-Executive Nominee Director; Brings 35 Years of Banking Experience - Know More About His Journey
Pushkar Singh Dhami CM
Uttarakhand: CM Dhami Monitors Chamoli Cloudburst Relief Efforts, Army and SDRF Lead Swift Rescue Operation
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
Dharavi Redevelopment: IAS Minds Turning 100-Year-Old Slum into a Modern City | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
mp
MP’s ₹3 Lakh Crore Infrastructure Boom: 255 km Greenfield Highway, ₹5,500 Cr Tiger Corridor Among Key Road Projects
FINNOVATION 2025
SBI & IIT Guwahati Celebrate FINNOVATION 2025 Winners in Gurugram, Empowering Young Innovators to Solve Banking Challenges
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT