Vaibhav Jain, 41
Additional Income Tax Commisioner (IRS)

In April, associations representing officers of 28 central civil services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Revenue Service (IRS) joined forces to launch an initiative called Caruna, to support and supplement the government`s efforts in fighting the Coronavirus pandemic. The acronym stands for Civil Services Associations Reach to Support in Natural Disasters.

Given his expertise and networking skills, Vaibhav Jain, Assistant Income Tax Commissioner (IRS), was tasked with heading the Maharashtra chapter, along with managing efforts in other parts of the country. "During the lockdown, there was a need for extensive and minute coordination, right from sourcing food to identifying beneficiaries and making sure that the supplies reach the right person. So, we created smaller teams, each delegated with the task of receiving calls, verifying information, distribution and liaising with NGOs." Jain even started receiving calls from the Bihar administration to assist with supplies. "They sent us a list of 2,000 families in need. We verified each and everyone and made packets for 30 days." When his team would go into the field, their phone numbers would invariably get circulated. In a day, his team would receive nothing less than 700 calls. It got overwhelming sometimes, he admits.