Young blood and fresh air

From up north till down south, a social revolution is being ushered in, engineered not by netas but by a bunch of committed babus. Young and effervescent, these civil servants are making the wheels of government move faster and the winds of change blow in the right direction. Just the way new gen authors like Chetan Bhagat and Amish Tripathi easily connect to readers with their everyday ‘dotcom’ lingo, these officers too are skilled at striking a rapport with young citizens.

Starting with the north, in Kozhikode, a district collector has set a new ‘bro-code’ with citizens. Among the young, he is known more as ‘collector bro’ than as N. Prashanth. His dexterity in communicating with the masses and the ability to stay active on social media platforms to listen and respond to people has earned him many a brownie point. To cite one example of his innovativeness, a zero-budget ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ scheme has brought dividends for the district to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore in a little less than a year’s time. Over 1,000 volunteers from various backgrounds were instrumental in achieving this feat.

“Given an opportunity, the ‘gen-next’ is more than happy to engage with the government,” says Prashanth. “None should be underestimated. Simple people are the ones more active on social media. Addressing their grievances should be seen as part of our job and not as a pass-time,” says Prashanth.

A stone’s throw away is P. Bala Kiran, the collector of Kannur, who is leading a silent revolution, distancing himself from the spotlight. This scientist-turned-civil servant has a plethora of successfully implemented projects and he turns eloquent when one mentions the Unique Numbering System for Bus Routes (UNSBR), which has now entered the third phase.

“One day a group of management students from Kannur University came and met me. They had in hand an algorithm to serialise the bus route system to benefit the elderly and people from other states. That was effective and without spending a rupee, we got an effective system put in place. It is a tremendous experience working with youngsters. Solutions are within ourselves. Let us not wait for others to come and do,” he says.

Two days ago, director of survey/land records Mir Mohammed Ali organised a function to reward those active in the successful piloting of the ‘Map My Home’ project under the department. Students from six colleges in Thiruvananthapuram toiled hard to spot everything from the petty shop and medical store to the government offices and institutions. Unbelievable it may seem, in just a month, they identified 1,400 destinations to be incorporated into Google maps.

“That great things can be achieved through community mobilisation is a known fact. On an experimental basis, we had sought the cooperation of college students without many expectations. What started with College of Engineering, Trivandrum, got expanded to five more colleges. We really came across a lot many gems,” says Mir Mohammed. After the successful pilot run, he has plans to take it to other districts.

The list is long and examples aplenty. If one could find a civil service officer in a common man’s attire in the middle of a road or a muddy puddle carrying a spade and shovel under scorching sun, it would definitely be M.G. Rajamanickam, Ernakulam district collector. Just a few days ago, he along with his IPS spouse R. Nishanthini, showed the way for citizens by cleaning up the Ernakulathappan temple pond joining with ‘Anbodu Kochi’, a voluntary initiative opened during the Chennai floods. Under his patronage, the group is turning proactive in many more sectors such as health.

Innovation has been the keyword for K. Vasuki, ever since she ascended the chair of Suchitwa Mission’s executive director. The 2015 National Games was her opportunity to test the ‘Green Protocol’ — to say no to throw-away plastic cups and plates from the venues and Games Village and go for sustainable alternatives. She had deployed a team of college students for the effective monitoring of the system. The protocol got successful replicas during Attukal Pongala and is about to be implemented for the Malayattoor fete too.