IAS officer Tina Dabi’s reaction to a village head’s welcome speech in fluent English has gone viral. The civil servant was attending a function in Rajasthan's Barmer where she was invited as a guest of honour. Sarpanch Sonu Kanwar, dressed in traditional attire complete with a ghoonghat, read out the welcome speech at the event.
Dabi was recently posted as the District Collector of Barmer.
"I am glad to be part of this day. First of all, I welcome our collector Tina ma'am. Being a woman, it's an honour to welcome Tina ma'am," Kanwar was heard saying at the function. She went on to speak about water conservation. Her speech was followed by a round of applause from the crowd and Dabi over her impressive language skills that left everyone amazed.
Tina Dabi first came into the limelight when she topped the 2015 Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil services exam on her first attempt. Her administrative service started from Ajmer, where she was appointed to the post of assistant collector.
Her younger sister Ria Dabi also cleared the UPSC exam in 2020 and secured 15th rank.
Tina Dabi was posted as the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) Commissioner in Jaipur before becoming a district magistrate in Barmer. Her husband Pradeep Gawande, a 2013-batch IAS officer and qualified doctor, was transferred from Bikaner to Jalore earlier this month.