Bureaucracy plays a vital role in any country as bureaucrat executes all the programs and policies of the government. However, the workload and responsibilities overburden them, and it may also affect the speed of the operations. One needs a passion for his profession to excel as a successful Bureaucrat. Read this inspirational interview with the exemplary district magistrate of Banda UP on how to achieve the goals with determination and proper scheduling/allocation of the tasks!
Hello sir, thanks for taking your precious time to answer our e-interview. After going through your achievements and milestones, we are positively sure that it would be highly inspirational for our readers.
Interview
Hello sir, your profile shows a secure and direct connection with the rural roots. Would you please suggest if and how it has helped you to excel in your current role?
I was born and brought up in a village and witnessed all the hardships that an ordinary rural citizen of India faces. Throughout childhood, I had met the daily difficulties of life. However, such situations have helped me in gaining practical knowledge of social management. Moreover, the direct experience of ground reality social problems shaped my role as a social manager to understand the root cause of such issues.
Learning
It is a widespread notion that it is not easy to continue your learning process after a particular stage, especially if you are handling key positions of vital responsibility. Do you think that this notion can impede the growth of such key professionals?
In my opinion, the specific age or stage should not determine the learning process. Firstly, one should respect every position as a seat of learning, an opportunity to gain practical knowledge. Secondly, the crisis can be a great teacher as it brings new challenges and allows us to learn new skills to tackle the situation.
Training
How did your different training periods in South Korea help you in widening your perspective? According to you, what are the best practices of South Korea that should be recommended for Indian officials?
It was a perfect blend of theory and practical learning where we gained practical knowledge on assuming a progressive perspective on various vital factors. However, two of the significant projects that impressed me the most are traffic control and waste management.
Multiple Roles
You have managed several vital roles in your long careers, like managing director of UPDESCO, special secretary of culture, UP, and District magistrate of Banda. Is there any specific profile that helped you to grow personally and professionally and achieve milestone success?
As we evolve in our careers, we keep on accumulating diverse experiences and widening our knowledge. It helps us to gain new skills, discover our hidden talent, and gain better confidence. In conclusion, it helps us to tackle diverse situations more confidently.
Dream Project
In any government ecosystem, one of the significant challenges is to convince a team of diverse officials and departments on the efficiency of your dream project. Aligning the pace of work to meet your expectations is another major issue. Despite this, you are among a few district magistrates who have successfully achieved many milestones. How easy or difficult was it for you?
Right from the beginning, I had a fire in my belly to serve society. Besides, I strongly believe in honesty and hard work. I have noticed that if one works selflessly towards the public interest and welfare and has a well-formulated workable policy, all the stakeholders gradually align as a team. It is true in my case.
Role of the International Organisation
You have deeply studied a diverse set of international organizations like the UN, Oxfam, and USAID. What are the significant positive aspects of their work culture that have allowed them to enjoy success? Do you think that it would be possible to replicate their positive operational traits in the Indian context?
Two of the significant positive traits of their work culture are an excellent documentation of every project and systematic planning while implementing any program and project. It helps a great way to streamline the processes, schedule things, and enhance overall productivity. I have practically followed the same. And it has helped me a lot in remaining organized and accomplishing the tasks in the stipulated time.
Use of Digital Media
In overseas, many government officials and other key players of the government, machinery, use digital media to connect better with the people. Do you think that the Indian government and bureaucracy should also follow suit?
Sure, digital media helps a great way of maintaining regular communication with the public. In addition, many officials in the Indian government are actively using digital media to connect with the audience. One of the most persuasive examples is WhatsApp.
Citizen Connect
As opposed to the politicians, citizens still need to have a better knowledge about various key professionals of bureaucracy as they generally work in the background. Do you have any advice for such bureaucrats to connect better with the citizens?
We are entrusted with the vital task of offering social products to my fellow citizens. The products are in the form of projects and programs of different departments. How efficiently are we able to provide these social products to determine the competency and performance of governance? For that, we need to connect quickly and firmly with the citizens. That is why I always try my best to mix thoroughly with citizens to deliver social projects efficiently. Above all, it plays a vital role in bringing good governance.
Key Responsibilities
As a district magistrate of Banda, could you suggest your key responsibilities, ambitions, and daily schedule?
As DM, I am accountable to all citizens of Banda. Therefore, I need to implement all programs and projects of GoI, GoUP, and other donor organizations to accelerate the pace of development in the district and bring happiness into the life of my fellow citizens. Firstly, my primary ambition is to solve the water crisis, Anna, and malnutrition problems of Banda. These problems impact the life of one and all. Secondly, I wish to bring a smile to the face of our citizens. My daily schedule begins at 9.30, and I remain busy until 10 pm.
Role of Doctorate
You are doing a Ph.D. at UP technical university for achieving good governance in UP. How was the experience for you, and how do you feel about this achievement?
My Ph.D. in ICT-enabled good governance by AKTU has helped me learn how to use ICT as a tool to achieve good governance and has thus helped me practically improve operational efficiency further. It is always good to enhance our knowledge by reading and learning. Moreover, one should try for it all along with his job.
Good Governance
As a district magistrate, you are responsible for good governance, and the recent developments in your region show that you have succeeded in achieving an enjoyable success. Would you like to share any success mantra for other district magistrates of India, especially those in the rural regions and developing states?
Elementary education, jail reforms, Anna, Start-up, and Innovation Summit malnutrition projects with UNICEF are a few developments that resulted in good governance. In addition, my next challenge is 90+% voting in the coming Loksabha election. It is a self-imposed challenge, and I am incurring every endeavor to achieve it.
Managing such key positions requires one to possess excellent people management skills as the success of one’s endeavors depends upon the team’s performance. How do you manage to lead the team and cope with the performance gaps, the difference of opinions, and scheduling the action process?
Administration means managing the contrary things together. I assess the ability of each person and put them according to their taste and skill. It motivates officials and helps them to align with the team effortlessly. However, there are a few instances where we need to take corrective actions, too, but it is also necessary. It is a lesson for others who don’t take their jobs seriously or maintain professional integrity. After that, they know they will face the consequences if they are involved in intentional wrongdoing.
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