The Trailblazers

After my retirement I have been associated with a group of students in my old alma mater to advise them on choosing a career and work for it. Needless to say, everyone’s dream job is the civil service at the center or in the states. The reasons for that are too well-known. But I feel one of them could be the exemplary work done by many officers to make the country a better place to live. I have great pleasure in presenting a few of the trail blazers today. There are many others, equally deserving mention. I will list them in future installments. However, governance is not about the higher echelons of the government structure alone. Readers are welcome to propose the names of such outstanding individuals who are pride of the nation. And as I have often said, such trailblazers can be found at any level from any service, from a Chowkidar to a Chief Secretary, not to mention corporate employees and private individuals.

1. Armstrong Pame, IAS

Armstrong Pame is the first IAS officer from Zeme Tribe of the Naga people. He belongs to the 2008 batch. He assumed the post of Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Tousem in 2012. Tousem is one of India’s most backward regions and a subdivision in Manipur. He is acclaimed for building a 100 km motorable road linking Manipur to Nagaland and Assam. The people of Tousem call him the ‘Miracle Man’.

He was moved by the difficulties faced by the people in communication and began to build the road by putting in some money of his own. In no time it became a crowd-sourced venture and the road is now known as ‘The People’s Road’.

In August 2012, he raised 40 Lakh rupees for this purpose through the Facebook page. He was invited to Facebook headquarters in California in 2012 and was nominated for CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Public service category for his efforts in building the road with donation and volunteers.

One of his recent initiatives includes a weekly dinner invitation to 10 students, from Class 5 to fifth to 10, to give them a glimpse into the life of an IAS officer.

2. Shivdeep Waman Lande. IPS

This IPS officer of 2006 batch of Bihar Cadre has been constantly in the news for all the good reasons. He has arrested many criminals, worked towards women safety and took on the pharmaceutical mafia. Under his tenure, the crime rate of Patna dropped drastically. He took strong action against eve teasers and has been very easily accessible to the people. It is said that he receives hundreds of messages every day and he makes sure that each message is attended to. He played an important role in eliminating illegal wine shops in his jurisdiction. When he was transferred to Araria from Patna, many people turned to the streets and held candle light protests against the government’s decision. He reportedly donates 70 percent of his salary to social causes which include marriages of poor girls and building hostels for poor students.

3. Tukaram Mundhe IAS

Tukaram Mundhe, of the 2005 batch of IAS has been transferred nine times in 13 years of his service because of his uprightness and devotion to duty. He is now the CMD of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML).

From raiding an illegal bar to the demolition of unauthorised encroachment and acting strongly against land and water mafias, Mundhe has done it all. He even received death threats for acting against the sand mafia, and came close to being demoted for displeasing his political bosses.

Mundhe believes that there is an inner drive in him to be a leader, a transformer, and a change maker. He says, “I ask myself, if I cannot, who else can? Being an IAS officer, if I cannot transform systems, if I cannot give them (citizens) leadership, if I cannot give them motivation, then who else can?”

4. Santosh Kumar Mishra. IPS

Santosh Kumar Mishra is an IPS officer from the 2012 batch. He hails from Patna and is posted at Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar district.

Realising the importance of educating children for a bright future for the country, this IPS officer takes time off from his duty to work towards improving the state of education. When he was posted in Amroha district, a student from Class 5 once complained about his friend not coming to school for the past 15 days. Looking at the child’s worried face, Santosh decided to investigate and realised that the boy had started helping out with his father’s sweet business. Santosh then talked to the father, and ensured that the child started going to school again. This inspired him to start doing his own bit to improve the state of education in India.

When Santosh was posted in Ambedkar Nagar district, he went to a primary school to teach children. These young students demanded jalebi first, and he complied. He also provided school bags to these kids, and then began teaching them Mathematics.

5. P Narahari IAS

An officer of the 2001 batch of IAS, Narahari has been the District Collector  of Seoni, Singrauli, Gwalior, and Indore. He currently holds the position of Secretary (Revenue) in the Madhya Pradesh Government.

At the age of 42 years, P Narahari has over 40 awards to his credit for making Indian infrastructure accessible to the disabled and working on open defection-free initiatives.

During his 10-year stint as a district collector in various districts across Madhya Pradesh, he constructed and advocated for a barrier-free environment that ensures that people with disabilities can move about safely and independently.

“We have building codes that specify what kind of infrastructure needs to be created to ensure that there is a barrier-free environment. We call organisations, especially government agencies, whom we train and educate about the specifications. For example, railway and bus stations frequented by the public for their day-to-day activities need to be disabled-friendly,” he adds.

6. Aparajita Rai. IPS

Aparajita Rai belongs to the 2012 batch of IPS. She was eight years old when her father, who was a divisional forest officer in Sikkim, passed away. At that tender age, she understood how insensitive most government officials were towards the public. It was then that she decided to become a part of the system and do her share to bring in change. Two decades later she is now the first female IPS officer from Sikkim.

During her training, she won several awards, including the 1958 Batch IPS Officers' Trophy for the best Lady Outdoor Probationer, the 55th Batch of Senior Course Officers Trophy for Best Turn Out, and the Shri Umesh Chandra Trophy for Field Combat.

She says, “Anyone who comes to me should not face the same harassment or agony that people generally encounter in government offices.”

Dr. Mrutyunjay Sarangi