Aparajita Priyadarshini Behera (24) of Mahanangala village has come out successful in UPSC's IES examination ranking 13 in all India list.
Aparajita lays claim to fame for the fact that she hailed from an extremely humble background. Her father Amulya Kumar Behera (50) is still toiling in a fertilizer plant in Paradip as a labourer.
He is on a daily pay roll and his assignment is purely contractual with monthly remuneration pegged at less than Rs 10,000.
With good academic record in school and college, she post graduated in economics from the Utkal University. Since then, she never looked back. Congenial and competitive academic environs in the university spurred her to march ahead.
"My father is my inspiration, guide and philosopher. He sweated it out to financially support me in my studies. He never made me feel the pangs of poverty. Whatever I achieved today is only because of my father. I dedicate my all India job to him," she said.