Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ interacted with South Western Railway (SWR) loco pilot Sireesha Gajini on Sunday. She was recently in the news for steering an oxygen express train from Jolarpettai Junction to Inland Container Depot in Whitefield.
The Prime Minister said her work during the pandemic is an example of ‘Naari Shakti’ (women empowerment). During the interaction, the loco pilot told the PM that she was inspired by her parents who supported her and other two sisters to study and do well.
While sharing her experience of operating an oxygen express train, she said, “I was very happy. All safety parameters were checked while running the train. The Indian Railways provided a green corridor to operate the train. We covered a distance of 125 km in one-and-a-half hour.”
Ms. Gajini, who has been working with the Railways since 2013, was assisted by assistant loco pilot Aparna N.P. Both are BTech graduates.
