Reported by Chinmaya Dehury

Bhubaneswar, Aug 4:

Odisha chief minister NaveenPatnaik today felicitated differently-abledSarika Jain, who has cracked the coveted civil services examination in her very first attempt.

Photo: Biswaranjan Mishra Photo: Biswaranjan Mishra

“Jain is a role model for women and the differently-abled. Her success will inspire others to reach their goals,” said the chief minister congratulating the girl at the state secretariat.

Sarika, a native of Kantabanji, a small business town in the impoverished Bolangir district, was ranked 527th among the 1,122 candidates who cleared the three-stage Indian Civil Services(ICS) examination-2013.

Her father, 58-year-old Sadhuram Jain, is an undergraduate and a small-time businessman, who runs a grocery shop in the town. Her mother Santosh Devi is a school dropout and a homemaker.

Jain developed polio in her right leg in 1985 when she was just two years old. Although she has 50 percent disability, this hasn't deterred her from dreaming big.