We don’t have to be a superhero. We just have to be brave enough to care for people, says Dr. Megha Bhargava. This has been her driving force in whichever field she has worked till now. Not just an IRS officer, Dr. Megha Bhargava is also a dentist and a social worker. She is empathetic, compassionate, kind, sensitive and keen to devote her life for the people.
The 2012 batch IRS officer, Dr. Bhargava is currently posted as Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, Mumbai and also actively working for her NGO ‘Samarpan’.
She shared her journey from dental college to UPSC with Indian Masterminds and also her future plans.
EXPANDING HORIZONS
Dr. Bhargava hails from Kota, Rajasthan. Like many others she too had planned a decent degree and a job. But, destiny had bigger plans for her. After completing her dentistry from Government Dental College, Mumbai, she started working for Military Hospital, Kota. But, she wanted to explore her intellectual horizons and her elder sister pushed her towards her goal.
“Since childhood I was inclined to work for people and my profession fulfilled that desire. Yet I felt that somewhere I was limiting myself. My elder sister persuaded me to take the Civil Services Exams,” she said.
It was tougher to convince others in the family about that. “Sometimes you have to be a rebel when you choose something for yourself. It was an unconventional thing to do. But I determined go for the UPSC, irrepsective of the outcome”, said Ms. Bhargawa.
FROM IDES TO IRS
Dr. Bhargava left no stone unturned in her preparation. She stayed in Kota and continued her job while the preparing for the UPSC exam. The only help she could get was from internet. It was her hard-work through which she got into civil services and joined the Indian Defense Estate Service (IDES).
“My work with army officers in the Military Hospital shaped me as a person and formed the crucible of my professional ethos and taught me to put our nation first. In IDES, I again got to work with them and it was a satisfying experience”, said Ms. Bhargava.
DENTAL AND EYE CARE CENTRE
Posted in Nanital-Almora cantonments, she started a dental and eye care center for the civilians living in adjoining areas. She also launched an initiative to start rain-water harvesting and vermicomposting in the area.
In 2012, she gave her second attempt and got into the Indian Revenue services (IRS). Her posting in Investigation Wing (Income Tax) has been the most learning experience. She says that the two year tenure has enhanced her physical & mental endurance.
SAMARPAN
After getting posted in Mumbai, Dr Bhargava – with the help of her mother, a retired principal and elder sister who is a doctor and public health professional – started Samarpan, an NGO . Its work has now expanded to states like Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. “We have adopted 61 schools in the interior areas and are providing ‘Adhyayan Kits’ and providing access to clean drinking water. Apart from these, they are also solar electrifying govt schools in the non electrified villages and organizing health camps and organizing menstrual hygiene camps”, she says.
“According to a study, a large part of expenditure for a family is on children’s uniform and stationary items. The families from poor socio-economic background can’t afford the basic education expenses forcing many students to dropout of schools. So, we have designed an Adhyayan Kit for the students which takes care of a child’s educational needs for a year”, Dr. Bhargava said.
Besides this, the NGO has also installed purifiers in the schools and played key role in providing necessities to migrant workers during Corona.
