Not more than a three-minute speech of Inba IPS at the launch event of ‘Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil’ laptop distribution scheme for college students that took place on January 5, reflected how government initiatives are 'empowering' and 'transforming' lives for the better and best.
The video is widely shared on social media.
Inba hails from Sengottai in Tenkasi and is a BE graduate. Her father is a bus conductor, and her mother rolls beedis to manage expenses.
Setting eyes on the prestigious All India Civil Services Examination, she prepared from home after her graduation. However, she was unable to clear the exam on her first two attempts.
Due to financial constraints, she was not in a position to shift to Chennai, the UPSC hub of Tamil Nadu. It is then when Inba soared to heights with the help of the Tamil Nadu government's flagship 'Naan Mudhalvan scheme'.
She cleared the entrance exam conducted under the 'Naan Mudhalvan scheme' and got access to the All India Civil Service Coaching Centre in Chennai.
At the centre, selected candidates undergo free coaching and intensive training to crack the exam. Notably, it offers free accommodation and free food facilities, bridging the financial gap between aspirants and aspirations.
With the help of the coaching at the Centre, Inba cleared the examination conducted in three stages (Preliminary, mains, interview) at one go. She is now a 2024 batch officer, presently undergoing ASP training in Coimbatore.
"It is believed that people from humble economic backgrounds cannot crack the prestigious exam and turn into an IAS or IPS officer, but it is not so. The government is offering several facilities through schemes. It is we who should utilise it to succeed," she said.
"In short, I was seated as a beneficiary, in a third or fourth row in a similar event a year back; now I stand before you as an IPS officer on the stage," she said, arousing a huge round of applause.
CM MK Stalin, Former ISRO Director Mylswamy Annadurai, P. Amudha, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary to the Government, was visibly proud and cheered with glee.
During the event, the CM handed over laptops to 10 students as a symbol of the launch of the scheme that targets to benefit over 20 lakh students from government and government-aided colleges in two phases.
Notably, he stated that the scheme is a 'strategic investment' for the future generation and not a 'mere populist' freebie.
