https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

A Helmet for Every Head

It was a unique drive in the Raipur district of Chhattisgrah, distributing 50,000 helmets to the needy person. The initiative took off under the astute leadership of the then SSP of the region, Mr. Arif Sheikh .
Indian Masterminds Stories

Everyday hundreds of road accidents are reported in India. The state & central government spend crores for awareness around road safety and safe driving. Still the condition remains the same. According to a recent study, India has only 1 percent of total vehicles in the world but accounts for 11% deaths in road accidents. Every year approx. 4.5 lakh road crashes are reported in which around 1.2 lakh people die. This is a very disturbing figure. 

An initiative called ‘Har Head Helmet’ in Raipur, Chhattisgarh has been a great success in this regard. Under the leadership of the then SSP, Raipur Arif Sheikh, the Raipur police distributed around 50,000 helmets to the needy and created a massive drive for road safety awareness. 

During the drive, Mr. Arif Sheikh was posted as the SSP, Raipur

During a conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Hussain, who is currently posted as the DIG, Anti-Corruption Bureau talked about how the initiative came into place and was executed. 

How it started 

In 2019, an NGO approached Raipur police and donated 100 helmets. They wanted it to be distributed among people. “When we got the helmets, our first thought was how to distribute them. We could not do that randomly, as it might have lost the purpose then. That’s when we thought of coming up with an initiative which could be taken on a large scale and ‘Har Head Helmet’ come into existence”, said Mr. Sheikh. 

Police was just a catalyst 

Mr. Sheikh wanted to rope in more stakeholders, so that this could become an exercise for the whole of Raipur. An informative campaign was launched for the entire district and many NGOs, businessman came forward to donated the helmets. 

Many NGOs and businessmen came forward to donate helmet for the drive

Reclled Mr Sheikh : “We had 100 helmets and we wanted to be given to needy people only. We advertised about this and on the very first day around one thousand people applied for the helmets. This made us realize that we have to collect more helmets. We launched an advertisement campaign and stickers were put on various places including the barricades. Soon, many NGOs and community members came to donate the helmets. Then we started to send those to all the police stations in the district and points of distribution. We gave the helmets to only those who could not afford to buy one or those with defective helmets.”  

The Raipur police team also made a record for distributing 16 thousand helmets in just six hours! This massive drive got its place in Golden book of World Records, Asia book of World Records and India book of Records. “Till now 2.5 crore worth of helmets had been distributed. The collection was possible through crowd sourcing only. The Police was just the catalyst and our only expenditure was on the advertisement and social media campaign”, added the officer. 

Raipur police created a unique campaign asking the sisters to gift helmet to their siblings

All the helmets were ISI marked and the helmets which were exchanged were sent for recycling. This way, it turned out to be an environment friendly drive as well.

Sister gifted helmets to brothers 

This was one of the most moving picture where a differently able girl gifted helmet to her sister

On the occasion of Independence- day and Rakshabandhan, the Raipur police launched another campaign. Mentioning these, Mr Sheikh said, “Rakshabandhan is celebrated across the country and on this day brothers promise to take care of their sisters.  We however, gave a twist and requested the sisters to gift helmets to their brothers. This too turned out to be a successful campaign. In short, you can say that ‘Har head helmet’ became a movement and it this happened mainly because of the public participation. I think this could be replicated in the whole country because with this we can make people change their minds towards the safety gears. They will start thinking to wear helmet as their responsibility, and not just as obligation, to be save themselves from fine”. 

For his unique endeavour, Mr Sheikh has been appreciated by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) as well.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
DGR Job Fair
DGR Job Fair 2025 Held in Delhi to Empower Ex-Servicemen with Career Opportunities in Emerging Tech - Details Inside
omc
Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Begins Dispatch from Dubna Mines, Strengthening Supply Chain and Industrial Growth
NFDC
NFDC Launches Free Residential 3D Animation & VFX Training for North East Youth - Here's All You Need To Know
CM Yogi
CM Yogi Adityanath Reviews Rs. 42,891 Crore Development Proposals for Lucknow Division, Emphasizes Timely, Inclusive Execution
Mahanadi River
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Assures Odisha of Consideration on an Amicable Solution to Mahanadi Water Dispute
MP News
Madhya Pradesh CM Dr. Mohan Yadav Pays Tribute to Pt. Ravishankar Shukla on His Birth Anniversary
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT