Kiran Bedi is truly an icon of heroism. She was the first Indian woman
to join the Indian Police Services. She was born on June 9, 1949
at
Amritsar in Punjab. She is one of the most renowned police
officers, who
have put in their whole hearted effort in serving the
society.Her career started in the year 1970, when she took the job of a
lecturer at Khalsa College for Women in Amritsar. Two years
later, she
joined the Indian Police Services. All the way through her
career, she
has taken up a number of challenging assignments. She has served
as the
Traffic Commissioner of New Delhi, Deputy Inspector General of
Police in
the insurgency prone area of Mizoram.
An interesting thing about Kiran
Bedi is that, sometimes, she is referred to as Crane Bedi. The reason
behind calling her by this name is that, she dragged the car of Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi due to violation of parking rules.
During her tenure as the Inspector General of Tihar Jail, she brought about several reforms in the way the prisons are managed.Kiran Bedi laid the foundation for the establishment of two voluntary organizations, namely, Navajyoti (1988) & India Vision Foundation (1994). These organizations were primarily set up with the aim of improving the living conditions of the drug addicts and the underprivileged people. The effort of Kiran Bedi has paid and brought her worldwide recognition. Her works have always earned appreciation.She is true inspiration of every Indian especially Women.
Awards of Kiran Bedi
For her outstanding work, Kiran Bedi has received a number of accredations:
- President's Gallantry Award (1979)
- Women of the Year Award (1980)
- Asia Region Award for Drug Prevention and Control (1991)
- Magsaysay Award for Government Service (1994)
- Mahila Shiromani Award (1995)
- Father Machismo Humanitarian Award (1995)
- Lion of the Year (1995)
- Joseph Beuys Award (1997)
- Pride of India (1999)
- Mother Teresa Memorial National Award for Social Justice (2005)