IAS Officers Entrepreneur Startup Civil Servant UPSC Inspiring India

Getting into the higher echelons of the famed civil services, particularly the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service, is hard enough.

Beyond executive power and responsibilities, working in the civil services comes with its fair share of perks as well. So, why would anyone leave a prestigious job and become an entrepreneur? Why take a plunge into another career that brings its share of risks?

For starters, there is the freedom to take your own decisions, particularly if the enterprise you are running is your own. Additionally, the civil services offer invaluable experience when it comes to starting a business venture.

Where else can you have the responsibility of governing lakhs of lives and employing hundreds by the time you’re in your late 20s?

Here are five civil servants who left their posts, to begin their own ventures:

Dr Syed Sabahat Azim

A 2000-batch IAS officer, this polymath and trained doctor, left the civil services to start Glocal Healthcare Systems in 2010.

With over two decades of experience in medicine, trained across diverse fields like self-help group training and infrastructure and financing from IIM Ahmedabad, Dr Azim served in positions as high as Secretary to the Chief Minister of Tripura.

Today, his startup seeks to offer the underserved greater access to quality healthcare services by setting up hospitals across small towns and villages.