Meenakshi Negi of Tehri became the first woman forest chief of Karnataka, brought glory to the state

Meenakshi Negi of Tehri district of Uttarakhand has been appointed as the head of the forest department of Karnataka state. She has become the first woman from Karnataka to do so. There is a wave of happiness across the state since her appointment.

Meenakshi Negi of Uttarakhand becomes the first woman forest chief of Karnataka

Meenakshi Negi, daughter of Atar Singh Negi, is a native of Roliyal village (Chamba) of Tehri district of Uttarakhand. Meenakshi Negi has been appointed as the head of the forest department of Karnataka. This is a matter of pride not only for her but for the entire Uttarakhand, as she is the first woman from Karnataka to hold this post.

Meenakshi Negi’s service in Karnataka cadre

After selection in IFS in 1989, Meenakshi Negi got the Karnataka state cadre. She served as Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) in districts like Ballari, Chikkamagaluru and Mandya. Under his leadership, several projects were run in these areas with forest conservation, wildlife management and local communities. In particular, his contribution to the conservation of the coffee plantations of Chikkamagaluru and the sensitive ecosystem of the Western Ghats was particularly appreciated.

Deputation was given to the Center in view of the ability

During his services in Karnataka, Meenakshi Negi was deputed to the Central Government in view of her ability. Here he served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of AYUSH. During this time he played an important role in the implementation of policies related to yoga, Ayurveda and naturopathy. His work in the AYUSH sector was seen as an initiative towards creating harmony between health and environment.

Meenakshi Negi also served in the National Commission for Women

For the last two years (2022-2024), Meenakshi Negi served as the Member Secretary of the National Commission for Women. In this role, she took initiatives at the national level on issues such as violence against women, inequality in education and employment and harassment at the workplace. Under his leadership, the commission paid special attention to the effective implementation of laws related to women’s safety, providing speedy justice to the victims and accelerating awareness campaigns.

Meenakshi’s father used to serve in LBSNAA

Meenakshi’s father Atar Singh Negi used to serve in Lal Bahadur Shastri Administrative Academy Mussoorie (LBSNAA). Taking inspiration from here, she prepared. Meenakshi got a unique environment of civil services since childhood. She was educated at the prestigious C.J.M. Waverly School in Mussoorie, where she learned the lesson of academic as well as social responsibilities. Her younger brother, Dr. Rakesh Singh Negi, is the Additional Director in Animal Husbandry Department Uttarakhand. Her husband, Vijay Sharma, was also an IFS officer of Karnataka cadre and retired in 2023.

Meenakshi has a deep attachment to her village

Meenakshi has a deep attachment to her native village Roliyal (Chamba, Tehri) and Mussoorie. She goes there every year and inspires local youth for civil services and participates in programs to promote women’s education. She is possibly the second forest chief of the state in the country from Tehri Garhwal district. Earlier, Manmohan Singh Negi of Dharkot village (Pratapnagar), IFS 1982 batch, was the Head of Forest in Arunachal Pradesh.