GM of TS Mineral Development Corporation succumbs to post-COVID issues

Telangana: G.Deepti, the general manager of Telangana Mineral Development Corporation, succumbed to post-COVID issues on 19 May, within a fortnight of her mother's death on 4 May. Deepti breathed her last after post-COVID complications led to a heart attack at a private hospital in Hyderabad.She could not bear the demise of her mother on 4 May due to coronavirus. Her brother Vivek recovered and while she valiantly fought and won over the virus, her heart failed her.

Deepti was the daughter of the additional superintendent of police Krishna Prasad who was slain by the AK-56-wielding ISI terrorists in Tolichowki, Hyderabad, around 30 years ago. At the time of the tragedy, she was just eight years old and her brother Vivek was three. She used to do the rounds of the offices to secure the entitlements of her martyred father. She took care of her mother and younger sibling and steered the family through the crisis while also educating herself and her brother. She, on her own merit, achieved success in public service examinations and rose to the level of general manager of the Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation.

Her colleagues in the Corporation remembered how she had organized COVID-19 tests and without fear or hesitation provided moral support to patients. Many of them visited her residence and paid tributes before her last rites were performed. She used to present dahez (entire kitchen requirements) to hundreds of newly-married couples.

Deepti and her husband had distributed meals to around 600 COVID-19 patients in 2020 from their house in Tirupathi. The Chittoor collector had profusely thanked them. Both were instrumental in connecting a Shiva Temple in Chandragiri with electricity supply and arranging for regular Abhishekam on Maasa Shivarathri every month. Vikas said Deepti never missed Satyanarayana Vratam on every Pournami at her residence.

She was planning to start a skill development institute for young unemployed educated youths and organize a small residential colony for senior citizens with all facilities and medical help at Tirupathi.

C.V.L. Narasimhan, the former Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Jagdish Shattar, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, and Union Minister of state (Home) G. Kishan Reddy personally called the family members and expressed their condolences. Union mining minister Prahlad Joshi also expressed his shock at the demise of this young official who had formulated an IT-based sand policy.

Union ministers Prakash Javadekar (environment) and Prahlad Venkatesh Joshi (coal, mines and Parliamentary Affairs) had appreciated Deepti for her contribution in developing an effective sand policy. Deepti had presented the state sand policy and related administrative measures before the environment ministry a few months ago. The minister had also directed the department to study the points raised by Deepti and put them into practice.

Her husband Vikas said she had asked Aadhaar authorities to link sand allocations with Aadhaar numbers to make fool-proof arrangements to prevent allocations beyond permitted quotas and the possibility of corruption. As the official in charge of the IT wing of the corporation, Deepti along with Vikas pursued the topic with Pronab Mohanty, the DDG of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIADI), and explained the need to link sand allocation with Aadhar which was then approved.