Random forays: Innovative young officers can change the country

Every official, at whatever level or vertical he is operating, can certainly infuse a certain amount of energy in his team by taking command and being a forthright communicator with a no-nonsense yet caring approach

Times are currently so sullen that any innovative initiative undertaken in any district of India is bound to draw ‘oohs and aahs’. Angst-ridden news permeates our consciousness with such alarming regularity that any heartening story of compassion and change for the better is likely to resonate affably with our highest thought levels.

By breaking the dusty mould and ideating differently to provide an embalming touch, an officer of any department can make a mark in his or her own sphere. (Representative Photo/HT File)

Young officers from medical services, defence services, administrative services, police services, allied services, technical and other services have largely served the nation with great valour and grit, especially in recent times. Some of them have shone like beacons of excellence and have blazed a creative trail in public service to pull the populace out of many a quagmire.

Young IAS officer Aditya Ranjan’s ‘co-bot’ innovation during the pandemic in a Jharkhand district, south Sikkim district collector Raj Yadav’s village adoption scheme, Shashanka Ala’s campaign against malnutrition in Mizoram, IPS officer Sanjukta Parashar’s already legendary campaign to combat Bodo terrorists in Assam are some relatively recent instances of high-performance work by civil servants in the face of grave challenges.

Such tales of far-reaching and path-breaking efforts should kindle in other officers across the land the innate urge to create some magic of their own for the larger good. The common man seeks and indeed yearns for better governance at the ground level and will clutch at any straws of succour that the system can throw up. By breaking the dusty mould and ideating differently to provide an embalming touch, an officer of any department can make a mark in his or her own sphere.

Furthermore, budgetary allocations or government sanctions are often not needed for undertaking certain innovations in governance systems. An officer can innovate and break the mould without needing approval from ‘higher authorities’ in many cases. Keeping one’s immediate superior informed is a good idea though! Why allow the familiar ego conundrum to stifle a good cause in the making?

One of the most soothing-to-the-soul ideas that someone happened to come up with during a previous avatar was the ‘aadar samman’ initiative, which entailed treating the elderly with utmost respect in all offices of the district. They were welcomed, guided, aided and given a cup of tea wherever possible in government offices, big and small. Those above the age of 70 were also counselled by psychologists, legal advisors and financial experts on their personal matters as part of the initiative. The district police, in the meantime, stepped up the beat system of policing and conducted regular contact programmes, especially in localities inhabited by elderly persons living alone.

Another initiative that worked well was to increase the number of public dealing hours per day in the office of the Licensing Authority instead of allowing the staff to spend half the day in compilation and calculation work. Outstanding staff members were issued certificates for their efficiency. Speedier disposal of pending applications and a welcome boost to the image of the administration was the result.

Every official, at whatever level or vertical he is operating, can certainly infuse a certain amount of energy in his team by taking command and being a forthright communicator with a no-nonsense yet caring approach. That balanced acumen to deliver the goods without stepping on people’s toes is rare but can be cultivated by all young officers as they grow in the service.

The concept of mentorship of young officers is much-needed idea too. I had brought this up earlier too, in this column. The police services have adopted such mentoring in parts, but there is a need for it to be comprehensive and meticulously implemented. Youngsters in various services are usually left to fend for their own selves and often their immediate bosses do not have the time or the wherewithal to guide them. Willing and able mentors need to be identified in each service.

The willingness, and indeed yearning, to make a mark and solve some of the country’s problems, even at a minor scale, has to be the aim of every sarkari newbie. The whirlpool of systemic forces will very soon sweep them off their feet if they don’t dig in with such determination at the very outset!