Vijayalakshmi Prasana-Bidari, an IAS officer of the 2001 batch, is appointed as the new Nagpur Divisional Commissioner.
Dr Madhavi Khode-Chaware held additional charge as Divisional Commissioner, Nagpur since the transfer of Prajakta Lavangare-Verma on Central deputation.
Recently, Dr Madhavi Khode-Chaware went for training, following which Radhakrishnan B, Municipal Commissioner, was given additional charge as Divisional Commissioner.
Bidari is likely to assume charge of the office soon. Bidari is currently serving as Controller, U R Rao Satellite Centre, ISRO, under the Department of Space, at Bengaluru in Karnataka.
Speaking about her achievements she was the first woman from South India to top the exam. Government of Karnataka honoured her with Karnataka Rajyotsav Prashasti. She is recipient of Mahatma Gandhi Prize for Communal Harmony by Government of Maharashtra as Managing Director of Mahila Vikas Mahamandal of Maharashtra in 2008.
She was awarded the Pride of Karnataka Award (2015) by the NGO Round Table India. She was Chevening Gurukul Scholar-2012 at London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom. In 2011, Vijayalakshmi Bidari was the youngest member in e-governance delegation of Department of IT, Government of India, to Estonia and Finland.
She also served as Member Secretary of Maharashtra Government’s task force for e-governance policy in 2010. She was a Member of State Government’s task force on micro-finance in 2008, and Member of Think Tank set up by Chief Secretary of Maharashtra in 2010.
Vijayalakshmi Bidari’s family has five civil servants. Her husband Mallikarjuna Prasanna is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in Mumbai.
Her father Shankar Mahadev Bidari was a decorated IPS officer. He was Commander of a SpecialTask Force set up to nab the forest brigand Veerappan.
Her mother Umadevi is a doctor by profession. Her brother Vijayendra Bidari also is an IPS officer and his wife Rohini P Bhajibhakare is also an IAS officer.
Vijayalakshmi Bidari has the honour of being the first person from Karnataka to top the Civil Service Examination in the history of the Civil Services in India (including the ICS).
