Mom-to-be forest sentinel thrives in a male bastion
29-year-old Shweta Rani continues to be in the field as a forest guard despite being in the seventh month of pregnancy
The love of nature and readiness to tackle challenges has helped Shweta Rani enter a male bastion as a forest guard in western Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district.
The 29-year-old was the first woman from her native village in Jalesar tehsil of Etah district to go for a government job.
A farmer’s daughter, she was one of the 94 women who joined the forest department among the 563 candidates selected in 2016. She is in the seventh month of pregnancy, but revels in her job as a forest guard in Aligarh.
The eldest among three sisters and two brothers, she studied in government schools and did her graduation in science from the Government Degree College in Jalesar.
She is among the 243 women forest guards who have joined service after clearing competitive exams in recent years, says Ashok Kumar, the chief forest conservator of forest, (human resource department) in Lucknow.
Describing herself as an admirer of Swami Vivekananda, Shweta Rani says she is unfazed by the vagaries of the weather that she has to face in the field.
“Whatever the weather, working in the field motivates me. We have to look for government land or seek permission if it is a nagar panchayat for plantation. My doctor has advised precaution as I am in the seventh month of pregnancy, but I feel that I can do my job even if the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius,” she says.
It was her love of nature that made her not accept a state police job for which she was selected. Instead, she chose the forest department. Her first posting was in Ghazipur in eastern UP where she had to do a 10am5pm office job which was not to her taste.
She got married to Deepak Singh, a policeman, in 2019 and was posted to the social forestry department in Agra. Her husband is posted in Etawah district of western Uttar Pradesh.
“Initially, when I joined the forest department in 2016, I was posted in an office. But I always loved a field job and was happy to be part of the plantation drive this year as the authorities chose me to supervise the plantation drive on Gonda Road, Amarpur Rajbagh in Aligarh district,” Shweta Rani says.
She is thankful to Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Aditi Sharma, conservator of forests for Aligarh division, and divisional director (Social Forestry) Diwakar Kumar Vasistha for reposing faith in her.
Putting Shweta’s position in perspective, Aditi Sharma says, “A woman staffer was tough to be found when I joined the forest department in 2006. The forest department was a male-dominated arena and somewhat continues to be so as it tests one’s strength and agility. But we now encourage women joining the department as their presence rules out the requirement of women police in certain circumstances.”
“In fields like social forestry, women are an asset as they have more convincing power in spreading greenery and thus, we motivate girls in our team,” Sharma adds.
Sharma says not only are there few women serving as forest guard but also not many are joining the Indian Forest Service as officers in the state. At present, there are 11 Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers in the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
“Women officers include the chief conservator at Lucknow and the conservator at Aligarh Division. There are women DFOS in Ayodhya, Ballia, Ghaziabad and Unnao. A senior woman IFS officer is with the forest corporation in Lucknow. Four women IFS officers of the UP cadre are at the Centre on deputation. There are 11 women IFS officers in the Uttar Pradesh cadre at present,” Aditi Sharma says. “In 2006, when I joined the Indian Forest Service, there were only two other women IFS officers joining at the national level. Besides me in Uttar Pradesh, there were two others in Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh. There is a steady increase in women joining the forest service in recent decades,” Sharma states.
“There are not many forest guards who come directly through the State Commission for selection. The women forest guards include those joining service because of the depen quota for deceased staff. T women take up the job of fo guard after the death of t father or husband,” she say
“Women forest guards in field are mostly deployed plantation and nursery, wil conservation and forest pr tion work,” Sharma explain
Ashok Kumar, the chief f conservator of Forest, (hu resource department) in know, says, “There were women forest guard who jo in 2016 and 149 women fo guards did so in 2019. Ther 243 women forest guards c ing through selection in U Pradesh.”
“Girls like Shweta Rani joining the forest departm yet their number is low. In garh district, there are only women staffers inclu Shweta Rani,” says divisi director (Social Fores Diwakar Kumar Vasistha. T women staffers include t who have joined in place of t departed husband. Not all are in a field job like Shwet