Vishakha Yadav: From Engineer to IAS Officer – The Story Behind the Viral Photos

The recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Arunachal Pradesh brought attention to IAS officer Vishakha Yadav, who was photographed welcoming him. The images of Yadav greeting the Prime Minister in the Papum Pare district have been widely shared online. Currently the District Collector of Papum Pare, Yadav belongs to the IAS, AGMUT cadre. She acknowledged the privilege of welcoming the Prime Minister on social media. Born in Delhi in 1994, Yadav is the daughter of a police officer. Prior to her civil service career, Yadav was an engineer who graduated from Delhi Technological University (DTU) and worked at Cisco. She later chose to leave her job to prepare for the UPSC exam, achieving the sixth rank on her third attempt, without any coaching. Her previous achievements include the PM’s Award 2024, recognizing her work on ‘DigiKaksha’, a project designed to boost digital learning and improve government administration in the northeastern state.