Aparajita Sarangi is a former IAS officer and politician. She is known for her innovative and tenacious approach to development. She was often called the “Angry Lady” because of the rigor of her job.
Wiki/Biography
Aparajita Sarangi was born on Monday, 8 September 1969 in Bhagalpur, Bihar (54 years; as of 2023). Her zodiac sign is Virgo. She holds a BA in English.
appearance
Height: 5′4″
Weight: 70kg
Eye color: black
Hair color: black
family, caste and husband
Aparajita Sarangi was born into a Brahmin family. Her father is an English professor and her mother is also a teacher. Her husband is IAS officer Santosh Kumar Sarangi.
Aparajita Sarangi and her husband Santosh Kumar Sarangi
The couple has a son named Shikhar Sarangi and a daughter named Archita Sarangi.
Aparajita Sarangi with husband Santosh Sarangi, son Shikhar Sarangi and daughter Archita Sarangi)
Profession
Aparajita Sarangi passed the Civil Services Examination in the first attempt in 1994 and joined as Deputy Collector of Hindol, Dhenkanal, Odisha. She served as Collector of Kulda, Koraput, Nupada and Bargarh districts in Odisha and District Magistrate of Ganjam in Odisha. She served as Director of Panchayati Raj Deptt. She served as Municipal Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) for three years and Commissioner-Secretary Director of School and Mass Education Department and Textile and Handloom Department, Bhubaneswar.
political career
She voluntarily resigned from the executive post and joined the BJP in June 2018.
Aparajita Sarangi joins BJP in presence of Amit Shah
Aparajita contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Bhubaneswar constituency and defeated the BJD’s former Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik.
She contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Bhubaneswar constituency and won for the second time.
dispute
- In 2010, Aparajita Sarangi introduced a dress code for teachers in Odisha. A question arose about the color of the clothes. Additionally, many teachers have expressed frustration with the dress code, and the teaching sector has protested.
- Another controversy erupted when Aparajita and School and Mass Education Minister Pratap Jena disagreed over the color of teachers’ uniforms. While Aparajita stuck to a pink saree paired with a black blouse, the minister opted for a beige saree with a navy blue border.
- In 2017, then School and Mass Education Minister Aparajita announced a ban on entrance exams for grades I to VIII. However, department minister Pratap Jena said he was not aware of the matter and the decision was taken without confidentiality being communicated to him. The conflict was rumored to be over a dress code controversy.
Awards
Awarded Shakti Samman in 2012.
Aparajita Sarangi meets Shakti Samman
favorite thing
fact
- She first met her future husband during her IAS training at Lal Bahadur Shastri Administrative College in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.
- She called her husband “a wonderful officer” because he always mentored her.
- She won the Best Dramatist Award for three consecutive years while in college and was adjudged the ‘Best Speaker’ at the All-India Debate Competition organized by the Indian World Affairs Council, New Delhi.
- Her academic performance was very good and she passed the IAS exam in her first attempt.
- When asked what would she have done if not an IAS officer? She replied that she would become an interior designer.
- She once said in an interview that Narendra Modi is her role model.
Aparajita Sarangi and Narendra Modi
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education