For those who truly desire something, the universe conspires to get it to them. This has been exemplified by IAS Officer, Arti Dogra, who dared to dream and achieved it despite all obstacles.
There are lakhs of students who aspire to crack the UPSC for it’s the most prestigious, and tough examination in the country. But Arti Dogra can not only be credited for she ranked in the civil services examination but commended for overcoming the constraints of her body height as her growth was stunted which led her to be just 3.5 Ft tall.
This came with a lot of adversities and she battled it single handedly.
Let us learn about her incredible journey.
Early life
Arti Dogra was born to Colonel Rajendra and Kumkum Dogra who is a school principal in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Dogra’s parents supported her in every aspect of life.
On Arti’s birth, the doctors said that she wouldn’t be able to attend a normal school but Dogra managed to attend a prestigious Girls’ School in Dehradun and also graduated in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.
Becoming IAS Arti Dogra
She had to face a lot of discrimination for her length which continued till her adolescence.
But Dogra never put off her spirits and went on to crack the civil services exam in her very first attempt.
She cleared her civil services examination in 2005 with an All India Rank (AIR) – 56. Dogra is from the Rajasthan cadre 2006 batch. From there on her journey as a dedicated public servant started. She has served in various positions in the Rajasthan government by now.
Arti Dogra is the first-ever female IAS officer to serve as the managing director (MD) of Discom (Distribution Company) Jodhpur-Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd.
Campaigns and performance
It is not just her physical constraint that made her popular but she came to be known for her effective campaigns and performance as well.
While being the District Collector of Bikaner, Aarti launched the ‘Banko Bikano’ Campaign to create an open defecation free society. The Swacchhata mission focused on behavioral and mindset change in people. For this, her work was not only recognized by the state government but also praised by Prime Minister Modi.
Dogra also launched other schemes like ‘Mission against Anaemia’ and ‘Maa’. She launched the programme, ‘Doctors for Daughters’, where she encouraged doctors to adopt orphan, poor, and helpless girl children born in their own hospitals.
Next when Arti Dogra became the collector of Ajmer, she encouraged the differently-abled people to cast their vote and arranged wheelchairs and vehicles for the disabled in all constituencies to participate in voting.
Awards and recognitions
Arti Dogra has received the National Award in 2019 from President of India, Ram Nath Kovind for her star performance as the District Election Officer in the Ajmer assembly elections in 2018. She has also received the ‘Daughters are Precious Award’ in Rajasthan.
Currently, Dogra is a collector of Ajmer, Rajasthan.
Also read: No Better Proof Of Gender Equality, 6 Women Top UPSC In Last 12 Years