S. Siddharth

I cleared the written examination stage and the interview stage for the 5-year integrated program in management offered by IIM Indore, but I decided to pursue graduation in economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi which proved to be helpful for me as I was able to stay at home with my family in Delhi during the treatment of my foot.

I prepared for the Civil Services examination conducted by UPSC and cleared the preliminary examination in 2022. I had opted for Public Administration as my optional subject and completed my master’s degree and cleared University Grants Commission – National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) for Assistant Professor in the same subject in 2023. I have been awarded with junior research fellowship under the National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India in 2023. The process of preparation has helped me to build a deeper understanding of different subjects covering different areas.

As State coordinator for Tamil Nadu, I had the opportunity to represent the interests of my parent organisation, National e-Governance Division, Digital India Corporation, Government of India in the state machinery of Integrated Child Development Services, Government of Tamil Nadu to implement Poshan Tracker project which is aimed at digitization of Poshan Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission). I was involved in the coordination of Poshan Maah (National month of Nutrition) 2023 in Tamil Nadu, wherein Tamil Nadu stood 4th among all states and union territories in India. I discovered and analysed the underlying reasons for discrepancies in the data through field inspections and data analysis and included my finding in my report to director cum mission director, ICDS (Ministry of Women and Child Development), (Government of Tamil Nadu). I Investigated into a loophole in the dashboard which was creating issues across the state and reported the findings to the concerned team.

Along with inter-organisational coordination, my role included frequent traveling to the various districts in Tamil Nadu for field inspections to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the project and to provide training and orientation to the state government staff. I started experiencing high degree of physical pain and discomfort due to complications in the condition of my foot which further aggravated because of the frequent travelling and therefore decided to resign from my position.