IAS Sonia Meena: The mining mafia still trembles after hearing the name of Madhya Pradesh’s famous and strict IAS officer Sonia Meena. She is currently the Collector of Narmadapuram (Hoshangabad) and is known for her swift administrative decisions. Sonia is the daughter of Tikaram Meena, a senior IAS officer of Kerala cadre of 1988 batch. It was his father’s inspiration that showed him the path to joining civil service.

Achieved 36th rank in UPSC without coaching

Sonia Meena had the honor of becoming an IAS by securing All India Rank 36 in the UPSC exam of 2013. The special thing was that he had achieved this success without any coaching, completely on the basis of self-study. Sonia believes that with strong self-confidence, discipline and right strategy, any candidate can pass the Civil Services Examination.

Studied from Delhi University and JNU

Rajasthan native Sonia Meena moved to Delhi after completing her primary studies. He did BA Honors in Political Science from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi University and later obtained a Masters degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). During her studies, she had decided that like her father, she would serve the country by becoming an administrative officer.

Strict action against mining mafia

IAS Sonia Meena came into limelight when she cracked down on illegal mining by running a continuous campaign against mining mafias. During his posting in many districts of Madhya Pradesh, he took strict action against the mafia, due to which his stature increased rapidly in the administrative field. His campaign was appreciated across the state and people started calling him “anti-mafia officer”.