The foot soldiers of governance- District Magistrates (DMs) are those who hold charge of the basic administrative unit of India and bring order, stability and often some very imaginative changes to those who live in their districts. Some of the most challenging tasks taken at the ground level are by the district magistrates at the district level. A district magistrate acts as a leader, motivator, developer, and saviour, and above everything, a top administrator whose unparalleled uniqueness makes them a chief actor in the district administration. For good governance and good policies to translate into tangible action on the ground, The Indian Express believes that the "steel frame of India" has to gear up and be the change that we wish to effectively make and see, in millions of lives in our vast and diverse country. We hope to go some distance in marking and encouraging those who make the effort and push for innovation and effective implementation. The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards attempts to identify and recognise the excellence in innovations at the district level by rewarding the spirit of the district. The Indian Express started the Excellence in Governance Awards (EIGA) in 2019. The biennial awards could not be held last year because of the pandemic. The Indian Express is launching its second edition this year and is calling for entries. But before that let us get inspired and learn from some of the award-winning civil servants of 2019. Relevance: For Essays, Governance and Ethics section of Mains examination as case studies and example-fodder for answers. Moreover, to remain motivated, inspired and create role models, such real life stories should be read, noted and applied. 1. How did a civil servant lead a citizen-driven mass movement to success? Civil Servant: Astik Kumar Pandey District- Akola Initiative- MISSION CLEAN MORNA RIVER-A Citizen Driven Mass Movement to Clean River Morna in Akola District of Maharashtra. On January 13, 6000 farmers, government officials and locals reached the river and started cleaning it at 14 points along the banks. Over next three months, over 28,000 people participated. “Over several years, the river had accumulated hyacinths and sewage waste. When the collector first floated the idea, there was fear of infection if people themselves cleaned. Collector’s office published newspaper ads inviting participation. It turned out to be a huge success. Several local corporators also got down to clean the river,” said local corporator Kiran Borakhade. Morna river spans across 64 km in Akola district, emptying into Poorna river. Until 2017, the Akola district office paid yearly contract of Rs 38 lakh to private contractor to clean the eight km stretch of river which collects waste from 32 major and minor nallahs running haphazardly around the city. In 2019, district collector Astik Kumar Pandey cancelled the contract. Key takeaway: Community involvement is an essential tool for change. 2. How a civil servant led an initiative to create social leaders as a remedy against a social evil- dowry? Civil Servant: Ashish Saxena District- Jhabua Initiative- Sathidar Abhiyan-A joint initiative for empowerment of women and children through eradication of social evils. “The campaign which intends to bring an end to the reserve dowry system eventually, began with making these social leaders aware of the adversities that the system carried along with itself. It is not easy to end the practice in a go so we began by convincing them to cap the dowry amount to Rs 50,000 or less as against the conventional Rs 2.3 lakhs which went up to Rs 5 lakh and above. After multiple consultations, the social leaders became our mediators, reaching out to the villagers and making them aware. A tadvi in a village holds a very important social position. He is an influencer and people tend to pay heed to whatever a tadvi has to say, so we tapped the village tadvis to be our saathidaars,” Saxena said. Key takeaway: One of the best ways to fight a social evil is to create social leaders. 3. How a civil servant worked for creating awareness and sensitisation to tackle sexual harassment? Civil Servant: Dr. Madhavi Khode Chaware District- Nagpur Initiative- Creating Awareness About Child Rights And Prevention Of Sexual Harassment In Tribal Ashram schools "Sexual harassment in ashram schools is a common occurrence in ashram schools across India. It is underreported like malnutrition. Children get enrolled here at the age of six and, as such, get no learning about such things from their parents. The Pandhurna ashram school triggered the thought to do something preventive. Jiwhala is all about it, " says Khode, who is now Commissioner (Textiles) at Nagpur. "After we rolled out Jiwhala, providing training and orientation to all stakeholders as also providing video and reading material, the boys and girls are now speaking out openly about these sensitive issues," she claims. She adds: "The thought behind it is basically two-fold - empowering children and sensitizing the school administration about their responsibilities." Key takeaway: Empowerment, sensitisation and awareness are tools for good governance. 4. How a civil servant led anti-corruption movement with innovative methods? Civil Servant: Dr. S. Lakhmanan District- Cachar Initiative- DEBO NA NEBO NA “ An Anti-Corruption Movement along with Mobile Phone Application by the District Administration Cachar, Silchar.” Debo Na, Nebo Na’ — the Bengali for “Won’t Give, Won’t Take” — project was launched in May 2017 and since then, authorities say, 13,075 complaints came though phone calls, 30,000 through forms dropped in drop-boxes and 472 complaints were received through the app. “The simple motive behind the project is to ensure that there is no absence of facilities to communicate about a corrupt practice or its possibility immediately from the point of occurrence,” says S Lakshmanan, deputy commissioner of Cachar district. Drop-boxes are in place outside offices of all government departments in the districts. Posters promoting the campaign adorn the entrance area of most offices. Key takeaway: Innovative minds of administrators can help to monitor the efficiency and integrity in governance. 5. How a civil servant led an innovative programme for skill development? Civil Servant: Kartikeya Misra District- East Godavari Initiative- Kaushal Godavari Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Promotion Project/ Kaushal Godavari (KG) Under this innovative and unique programme, the district administration is arranging for skill development, skill enhancement, job placements and aiding private companies in recruitment. The programme is so successful that by 2019, 16,000 youths have found jobs — from tribal girls in Foxconn in Nellore to youths from traditional priest families getting offers to join as priests at a temple in Dallas, US. In fact, for over 200 companies the first stop for recruitment in recent months is Kaushal Godavari. "We hired master trainers: we would request a well-known AC technician or a welder to come and give training. We also give motivational talks. Most of these are short term courses — one week to 15 days. So far we have helped about 2,600 people to become self-employed un Chinturu area from where nearly 1,000 tribals, including 700 woman, have got jobs after receiving training under Kaushal Godavari, at the Kaushal Godavari building inside the District Collectorate, a batch of 60 young men and women were waiting to receive their certificates in networking analysis from HCL. The company trained the youths free of cost and will select at least 20 of them. Key takeaway: Empowering youth through skill is at the core of good governance. 6. How a civil servant led a project to connect lives and secure education? Civil Servant: Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary District- Udhampur Initiative- Project "Rahat" : Connecting Lives , Securing Education (A convergence project planned at District level) Providing connectivity in the villages to 170 bridges have been built under this project. It helped 327 schools with 27,465 students, reduced the travel distance by 349 km in the district, besides giving easy access to more than 1.30 lakh people to 183 ration depots, apart from generating 43,000 mandays of employment for local people. Key takeaway: “Vision without execution is hallucination.” Thomas Edison. Right vision with right execution has a power to change the lives of people. 7. How a civil servant led a scheme to upgrade a village through adoption? Civil Servant: Raj Kumar Yadav District- South Sikkim Initiative- District Administration Adopted Village (DAAV) Under the DAAV scheme, six schools namely Bul Primary School, Pallum Primary School, Rong Secondary School, Shyamdas Primary School, Singtam Pallum Junior High School and Singtam Primary School and one primary health centre in Rong-Bul GPU were overhauled. Infrastructure was enhanced and locals were trained to undertake maintenance of the establishments. The quality of mid-day meals was improved and smart classes were introduced to attract children into attending lessons. The children were engaged for the beautification of the school premises and classroom walls have been used as a source of learning. Career counselling programme are held and experts from various fields and departments conduct periodical programmes. Key takeaway: Good governance at grass root level mean the availability and accessibility of basic amenities and services. The above stories tell us that civil servants can be new meanings of good governance. It is to honour the work of such DMs/ civil servants, The Indian Express is launching second edition of Excellence in Governance Awards this year and is calling for entries, the deadline for which is September 15. The jury will then evaluate DMs from 780 districts in the country for innovations implemented by them, which had a positive impact on the welfare of citizens and government efficiency. We will cover the success stories of all the winners in our UPSC Essentials- Get inspired series when the awards are declared so that you can Get inspired!
