Loved as a 'People’s Officer ', IAS Vijay Amruta Kulange has won widespread respect for his initiatives. But few know that he rose from poverty and incredible hardship to fulfil his dream of serving the common man.
Growing up in Maharashtra’s Ralegan village, Vijay's father stitched clothes and his mother worked in fields, earning ₹200 a day -- barely enough to feed their two children.
But despite financial constraints, his parents made sure Vijay never missed school, even if it meant skipping meals to buy notebooks for him. And he repaid their faith, working hard to ace his studies.
But poverty took a toll. Though he earned a seat in MBBS, Vijay had to give it up as he couldn't afford the fees. Instead, he became a govt school teacher to support his family.
But bigger dreams never stopped beckoning. So Vijay taught by day and studied by night for civil service exams. After failing twice, he cracked the MPSC on his 3rd attempt and became a Sales Tax Inspector.
In 2012, with no coaching, he cleared UPSC CSE in his first attempt — he wrote the exam in Marathi, while working a full-time job. No one was prouder than his parents!
As a Collector in Odisha, he went on to win hearts with his pro-people initiatives during COVID -- building hospitals in 15 days and hiring migrant workers under MGNREGS to beautify and repair schools.
Even when the cyclonic storm Yaas hit Ganjam, Vijay managed to keep the district running with timely evacuations and equipped cyclone shelters with medical support.
Vijay also launched a Rs 5000 cash reward for any tip-off about an upcoming child marriage. The informer's identity would be kept a secret. It was a resounding success - 38 child marriages prevented in a few months!
Shaped by his own struggles, Vijay led by listening -- his ‘Rajaswa Rath’ initiative, a mobile service delivering land records and certificates to people’s doorsteps — is now replicated across Odisha.
Today, they call him what he became: The People’s Collector. His journey is proof that true leadership rises from the ground it once walked on!