She is a very patient listener. She likes to be in the field with people and listen to their problems. She fully understands that making people feel comfortable with the administration and empowering them is an effective way to help them make informed choices. She sits with people and sometimes also shares meals. Due to these gestures, people love and trust her. They never hesitate to openly talk their hearts out in front of her. Who is she? Well, we are talking about IAS officer Dr. Saloni Sidana, who has earned the name of ‘people’s officer’ in a very short period of time.
She didn’t plan for UPSC CSE but believes it was her destiny and feels blessed to have gotten this opportunity that helped her become an administrative officer. After completing MBBS, she also cleared the US Medical Licensing Exam. Yet she didn’t go to the US, as she wanted to stay close to her parents. Since there was a gap before the Master’s exam in medical college, she decided to study different subjects and appear for the UPSC CSE. She cleared it on her first attempt in 2013 with AIR-74.
Being a person of medicine, the officer wants to improve the health infrastructure of this country. The diverse nature of her job allows her to do so. In Mandla, she is dealing with sickle cell anemia, which is endemic in the district. Before, she served as the CEO of Zila Panchayat in Jabalpur and as CEO of Aayushman Bharat and the National Health Mission in the state during the COVID period.
In this video interview, Ms. Sidana shares some of her experiences and how she is tackling the problem of superstitions in the state.
Click on the link below to watch her exclusive with us :
