https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

An Officer’s Efforts To Help A Remote Village In The Desert

IRS Ashok Vishnoi comes from the remote village of Kelansar, situated in the middle of the Thar desert in Rajasthan. Even after becoming a civil servant and getting postings in urban areas, he did not abandon his village and rushed to the villagers’ help whenever the situation demanded. He developed the village schools and provided a new direction to the students. And during the second Covid wave, he stepped in to provide medical aid and saved many lives.
Indian Masterminds Stories

This is the story of a civil servant who has not abandoned his birthplace in the middle of the desert of Rajasthan and keeps going back, to be with his people in their time of need. The bureaucrat is IRS officer Ashok Vishnoi and the village is Kelansar. The village of Kelansar is situated approximately 130 kilometers from Jodhpur, in the middle of the Thar desert. Because of the lack of proper connectivity, the village was quite backward in terms of development. 

However, things slowly started to change when the son of the village Ashok Vishnoi decided to step in and usher in development in all areas, step by step. In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Vishnoi, who is currently the Deputy Commissioner of the IT Department in New Delhi, talked about the measures that he took to uplift his village and make lives easier for his people. 

IRS officer Ashok Vishnoi

DEVELOPED SCHOOLS

When Mr. Vishnoi decided to do something for his village, the first area he set his eyes on was education. The village had only government schools and they lacked proper sports areas and equipment. He decided to start his development work from here.

“The sports teacher in one of the schools was a national level player in wrestling and judo. At his request, I made safety mats available for the pupils with the help of a businessman donor. For another school, the villagers and I together contributed and purchased the mats,” Mr. Vishnoi told Indian Masterminds.

This initiative encouraged several girls and boys of the schools to actively participate in sports and 10 students each from both the schools were able to reach the state and national levels. Encouraged by this result, the officer also arranged for 100 sets of tables and benches for the students, who otherwise had to sit on the floor and study.

Also, the school had no proper gate due to which animals used to enter the campus and destroy all the greenery. “Therefore, my father and I set up a huge gate on the entry point to the school for the protection of the premises and the children. We also bought sound systems for the schools’ annual functions and celebrations, and enhanced the greenery in the campus,” Mr. Vishnoi said.

The officer developed the schools of the village

HELP DURING PANDEMIC

The second wave of the pandemic put immense pressure on the health system of the country. During this time, when the whole country was struggling for hospitals beds and oxygen cylinders, Mr. Vishnoi took stock of the situation in his own village. What worried him was that there was a scarcity of hospital beds even in the urban city of Jodhpur, so one can well imagine what would be the situation in the villages in the middle of the desert. Nothing could be worse than traveling over 150 kilometers, spending thousands of rupees, only to know that they had come in vain as there is no bed available for the patient. 

“I realized that the district hospital in my subdivision wasn’t treating Covid patients. The staff wasn’t ready to get into the mess. Therefore, I contacted NGO ‘Seva Bharti’, and they helped me to create a makeshift hospital at a school. I also adopted two wards at the government hospital, and 15 people from the NGO volunteered to take care of the patients. The step was successful and together we could help a lot of people,” the officer said. 

With the help of the contribution from his peers, Mr. Vishnoi brought several oxygen cylinders and concentrators and saved the lives of many people. He is full of praise for the NGO volunteers who put their lives at risk to help the villagers.“The people from the NGO helped me a lot. They weren’t fully vaccinated and still risked their own lives to save the lives of others. I am very grateful to them,” Mr. Vishnoi told Indian Masterminds.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
BEML_and_VSCB_Member_Organisations_Organise_Walkathon_
BEML Walkathon in Bengaluru Promotes Integrity, Transparency During Vigilance Awareness Week 2025
Sariska Tiger ST-2303
Rising Tiger Presence in Lakhimpur’s Maheshpur Range Sparks Fear Among Villagers, Urging Stronger Forest Department Action
Coal-Production-resized
NCC Ltd Secures ₹6,828.94 Crore Contract with Central Coalfields for Major Coal Extraction Project in Jharkhand
Indore police arrest
MP Administration Shows Swift Action: Man Who Molested Australian Women Cricketers Arrested Within Hours in Indore, CM Yadav Orders Strict Action
ONGC_resized
PESB Calls for Applications for Director (Finance) Position at ONGC; Vacancy to Open on May 1, 2026
IAF MRFA project
India and Brazil Set to Finalize Landmark Defence Barter Deal: Tejas Fighters and Prachand Helicopters for C-390 Aircraft
NETRA Mk-2
India Sanctions Cutting-Edge CLRTS/D Autonomous Swarm Drone System for Precision Deep-Strike Missions
Naval Commanders Conference 2025
Second Edition of Naval Commanders' Conference 2025: Indian Navy Reinforces Operational Readiness and Focus on Aatmanirbharta
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-23 at 10.40
Everybody Needs To Know What Is Transpiring Behind Closed Doors Of Courts
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
UPSC Journey Should Be Enjoyable, Not Cumbersome
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
The Many Facets of Former IRS Officer and Author, Giselle Mehta | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Rupal Rana UPSC
How Rupal Rana Cracked UPSC CSE 2023 with AIR 26 After Four Attempts
UPSC Topper Rupal Rana secured AIR 26 in 2023 after four attempts. Learn her preparation strategy, booklist,...
Ankita Parashar RAS 2023
4 Attempts, 1 Dream, 0 Excuses: Meet RAS Topper Ankita Parashar, Who Fulfilled a Daughter’s Promise & Secured Rank 2 | Exclusive Interview
Ankita Parashar, a teacher-turned-officer from Pushkar, fulfilled her late father’s dream by securing...
Kushal Chaudhary RAS
From Lab Assistant’s Grit to Rajasthan Topper: How Kushal Chaudhary Topped RAS 2023 with Self-Study | Preparation, Strategy & Interview
Kushal Chaudhary, a farmer’s son and lab assistant from Ajmer, topped RAS 2023 through self-study, overcoming...
Social Media
IFS Parveen Kaswan
Heartbreak by the River: 15-Day-Old Elephant Calf Rejected by Mother, Rescued by IFS Parveen Kaswan and His Team
Jaldapra, West Bengal: In a moving incident that tugs at the heart, a 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued...
Ashwini Bhide IAS and Anand Mahindra
Who Is IAS Ashwini Bhide, Hailed as a Role Model for Mumbai Metro Transformation by Anand Mahindra?
From heritage to high-tech: Bhide’s leadership in Metro Line 3 earns public praise and admiration
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
BEML_and_VSCB_Member_Organisations_Organise_Walkathon_
BEML Walkathon in Bengaluru Promotes Integrity, Transparency During Vigilance Awareness Week 2025
Sariska Tiger ST-2303
Rising Tiger Presence in Lakhimpur’s Maheshpur Range Sparks Fear Among Villagers, Urging Stronger Forest Department Action
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-23 at 10.40
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT