Whenever a scheme or mission is launched in India, the credit for its success invariably goes to the Government. Be it MANREGA, Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan, Jandhan or Ujjwala Yojna, the crown of recognition was lapped by the Government of the day.
In 2006-07, when ‘Laldli Laxmi Yojna’ was introduced in Madhya Pradesh, the then government of Shivraj Singh Chauhan received all the applause. He came back in power because of this remarkable scheme. People of the state even started calling him ‘ Mama’ (maternal uncle). Amidst all this, like always, we forgot the civil servants who work day and night to give life to any such scheme or program. This time it was ParikipandalaNarahari.
The 2001 batch IAS officer who is also a lyricist, is the lead author of the `Ladli’ scheme which benefitted lakhs of girls in Madhya Pradesh.
Talking to Indian Masterminds about it, Mr Narahari said, “I was posted as the Project Director of ICDS in Women & Child Development department. During that time, I travelled a lot and got to know about the condition of females in the state. Female foeticide and infanticide was common in Gwalior and Chambal regions. This was disturbing for me. A positive change in the mindset of conservative families regarding the girl child needed to be brought about. This opened the road for ‘Laldli Laxmi Yojna’.”
The scheme came into effect from April, 2007 and has been a huge success. After Madhya Pradesh, 15 other states also launched similar, pro-female schemes. Even the National ‘Beti Bachao BetiPadhao’ Abhiyaan is inspired by it to some extent.
The `Ladli’ scheme ensures financial help to the girl child for her education & development, from her birth to the completion of 21 years. Till now around 25 lakhs girls in Madhya Pradesh have been helped through this programme. Referring to its success, Mr. Narhari said had initiated and started work on many campaigns in my career- but he felt most proud of `Ladli’. “The the satisfaction it has gives me is incomprabale. It will not be wrong to say that this scheme ensured the birth of lakhs of girl in the state,” he added
However, the Ladli Laxmi Yojna is just one of the many feathers in his cap. During his two-decades-long career, Mr. Narahari always proved himself as an efficient and sensitive officer who was always ready to help the needy. From his first posting in Chhindwara till date, the Telangana born officer has continued to impress the people with his unique working style and implementation of new campaigns.
Controlled Sex Determination in Gwalior
In 2011-12, Mr. Narahari was posted as the District Collector of Gwalior. At that time he installed active tracker devices in various hospitals and sonography centers to track down the activities concerning the illegal sex-determination. “While working on Ladli Laxmi Yojna, I got much data around this. However, when I came to Gwalior I got to know that it is a kind of flourishing racket and a leading cause for female foeticide. There were 100 sonography centers in the city alone. After discovering this,I was sure that mere sensitization won’t help and we needed to take some harsh steps. Meanwhile I came to know about Girish, who developed an active tracker device to help curb this activity.” With the help of Girish, Narahari arranged the device but its installation was the most difficult task. Initially every hospital and doctor they approached avoid installing the devise, but the state officials managed to prevail upon them
Through this device, Mr Narahari and his team apprehended several offenders. Criminal cases were also filed against many sonography centers. A quack was also sent to jail under the National Security Act for illegal practice and sex determination offense.
Barrier-free neighbourhood
P Narahari is also hailed among the few officers who tried to make the lives of differently-able easier. When he was posted as the DC of Seoni, he worked extra hard for their betterment of persons with disability. He said, “The life of differently-abled is difficult and they have to struggle for each step in their life. But in most cases their families supports them. However, in case of mental disability the scenario is entirely different. Their families don’t accept them, they practically turn into outcasts. I saw cases where persons with mental disability were chained in the houses by their own families. This mainly happened in lower-middle class families. It was unacceptable. When I was trying to figure out the way for this situation, I came to know about the provision of Legal Guardianship which gave them equal right in the property and pension scheme for them.”
Armed with this knowledge, Mr Narahari started a survey to identify those cases and issued their pension under the government scheme. The pension was only 500 rupee per month but it’s a big amount for below poverty line or lower-middle class family. After that, the families started taking good care of them.
Meanwhile Mr Narahari also received application from lots of differently-abled people about the issues they faced while accessing public offices and areas. To resolve matter, he took help from Padma Shree Awardee Uma Tuli who has worked a lot for the differently-abled people. With her help, he designed ramps and railing which made their ways to these places much easier. This not only just helped differently-abled but also the senior citizens and pregnant women.
Mr Narahari continued this work in all his future postings, like in Indore and Gwalior, under the Sugamya Bharat scheme of the Government of India. With his efforts, Gwalior became 95% barrier-free state. For his achievements, he was honored thrice awarded by the President of India while serving as the District Collector of Seoni, Gwalior and Indore.
Role in Making Indore- the Cleanest City
As the district collector of Indore, Mr. Narhari focused on the education and Smart cities Mission. He played a key role in making Indore the cleanest city under the `Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’ launched by the Government of India. He even penned a few songs to spread awareness about the importance of cleanliness in the neighbourhood. The Ho Halla song written by him and sung by Shan became the ‘Safai Anthem’ for the city as well as the state.
The Books
This remarkable officer doesn’t miss to create an impact off the field as well. He is also an excellent writer and lyricist. He is the author of five books which includes Who Owns Mhow? and The Making of Ladli Laxmi Yojna. His next book Betiyaan is also due to release in a month time. It will cover his work in Gwalior for eradication of female foeticide and the working of Active tracker devices. Other than the books, Mr Narahari also wrote the lyrics of some popular campaigns. Recently he made two songs during Corona Pandemic which includes Jeena Jeena, sung by Shaan. Along with it Jai ho, Chauka, Hai Halla are some of the popular songs written by him.
The People’s Officer
Mr. Narahari is one of the few officers who go beyond his duties to help the needy. While serving as the DC, he used to conduct Jan Sunwai after the officers hours to listen to the people problems. In Gwalior, he helped hundreds of families to get their house that were encroached by some goons or builders weren’t giving the delivery on the promised time. He even helped various families to cater for their children’s education.
National Level Swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia gives the credit of his success to him. The differently -abled swimmer, who has won 19 medal, said in an interview that it was Mr Narahari who motivated him and helped him in his training. “ Wo naam se nahibalki kaam se bhi Naraharihai (man-god) hain.(He is not only Narahari by his name but also by his work),’’ said the swimmer.
On the love and blessing he has been getting from the people, Mr Narahari said, “When I was a child,I never saw a collector. We knew that Collector is a person who is powerful and comes in big vehicle. I didn’t want to become that. I always saw myself as someone who is accessible to anyone in need.”
Mr Narahari is one of the few IAS officer who is using social media to reach to people and solve their problems. He is also responsible for establishing social media wing in Public Relation Department of the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
The Inspiration
With this amount of determination and hard work, who wouldn’t become an inspiration for large number of people? All his life he has tried to do things for the betterment of people. No wonder, this has made him their star and the hero. the toppers from this year UPSC, Pradeep singh , has publicly said that he choose civil services after being inspired by Narahari’s work.
When asked about his feelings on this, Mr Narahari replies, “ I come from a humble background and a lower-middle class family. My father was a tailor and we were five brothers and sisters but he never compromised in our education. For higher studies I always got help from the government schemes and scholarships. It is my turn to return the favour to the other aspiring students. When I hear about these stories I am filled with joy. It seems like my life is complete because I was able to inspire someone.”
Mr. Narahari is currently posted as the Commissioner of Technical Education department. we hope he will continue his efforts to make this country a much better place for everyone.
