https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

The IAS Officer Who Revamped Open Spaces Of Etawah Into Gyms, Parks, and Stadiums

At first blush, it may look like Herculean task to accomplish. It is, but Mr Raja Ganapathy Ramaswamy showed by the results that the word `impossible’ does not exists in his dictionary.
Indian Masterminds Stories

You can call Etawah the city of wrestlers and body builders. It’s said there is not a single family here which has not produced a wrestlers. But before the IAS officer Mr Raja Ganapathy Ramasamy took charge as Etawah’s Chief Development Officer (CDO), things were in disarray here.

For one, there was no place in the entire Etawah where these young men could go and exercise. Often, they could be seen running on the highways- that’s where Mr. Ramasamy laid eyes on them for the first time and thought of the whole thing as quite bizarre, besides of course being very dangerous to the lives of these people, with heavy traffic whizzing past them from a few feet away.

Mr. Ramasamy himself is an exercise enthusiast. So he could really grasp the situation, as also empathize with the youth of Etawah. As he told Indian Masterminds, “I was inclined towards fitness and working out since my college days. I used to go for long runs and work out on a daily basis.”

Taking On the Land Mafia

Once in his office, the IAS officer decided to do something about the budding bodybuilders and found a new set of problems. But he soon overcame them. It didn’t take much time for Mr. Ramasamy to realize that the youth needed open spaces for performing fitness activities. Within one year, he gave a complete facelift to Etawah. Now it’s a new, revamped city with many open-air gyms, herbal gardens, and children parks.

Rural parks built at gram panchayats and blocks in Etawah under MLALAD Fund and MNREGA Scheme

The big task for Mr. Ramasamy was to provide a space for people so that they could exercise properly and safely. As he said “I found a very large number of land acquisition cases, mainly by the local mafia, and dealt with them immediately. Once the land was vacated from their illegal passion, we utilized the space by making gyms and parks there,’’

Model MNREGA Rural Park

And therefore, in a matter of just one and a half years of service in Etawah, Mr Ramasamy constructed 80 open gyms at village gram panchayats level, 180 children’s park at various schools, 25 parks with the facility of open gym, footpaths, 125 herbal gardens at primary schools, 11 rural multipurpose stadiums with running tracks.

Vegetable farming managed by SHG women

All these initiatives came under various schemes and allocations under the MNREGA, village panchayat funds, and public representatives’ local area development funds.

Unstoppable Mr. Ramasamy

The IAS officer also contributed to ‘Operation Kayakalp’, a project which was carried out in the 14th Finance Commission. It aims at raising the standard of living of the villagers and to develop a better India by way of the overall development of gram sabhas.

Open gyms for wrestlers and fitness enthusiasts

Mr. Ramasamy recalled, “Under ‘Operation Kayakalp’, I took the initiative of conducting a beautification drive of 1400 schools, established around 230 herbal parks, and also constructed some 200 children parks.”

River rejuvenation of four local rivers – Senger, Purah, Anaiyah, Sirsa

He has also played a major role in the rejuvenation of four local rivers – Senger, Purah, Anaiyah, Sirsa with a total length of 250 kilometers and built 10 river ghats at river Sengar. He also gave a “corporate look” to the traditional government offices by renovating 8 block offices in Etawah

Given “corporate look” to traditional block offices

Apart from this, he also helped various Self-Help Groups (SHG) of women by building 30 RO plants in semi-urban areas, which are being operated by them under ‘Prerna Jal’ programme. He also took the initiative of building 80 work sheds at their workplace and also established `Prerna Canteens’ which are being run by differently-abled women of SHG.

RO water plant established which will be run by SHG women

In these 18 months of service as the CDO, Mr. Ramasamy has delivered Etawah the transformation which its people always pined for.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Ministry of Defence
Defence Ministry Opens Missile and Ammunition Production to Private Sector, Boosts Aatmanirbhar Bharat
Delhi Police
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha Orders Formation of 3 Units for Contingency Action Plan Amid Nepal Protests
Rajasthan High Court
Rajasthan High Court Allows Prosecution of Retired IAS Officer in Rs 8 Crore Wheat Scam
Uttar Pradesh CM resized
Sacred Confluence, Modern Vision: Yogi Govt Approves Rs. 1 Crore to Develop Durvasa Ashram as Tourism Hub in Azamgarh
Aapki Punji
Every Penny Counts: Finance Minister Launches "Aapki Punji, Aapka Adhikar" Campaign to Return Unclaimed Assets to Citizens
NATPOLREX
NATPOLREX-X 2025: Indian Coast Guard Hosts Mega Marine Pollution Exercise with 32 Nations in Chennai
CM Vishnu Deo Singh
Chhattisgarh Unveils Its First National Highway Tunnel: A Landmark in India's Infrastructure Drive Built in Just 12 Months
bureaucracy news
Senior IRPS and IRS Officers Receive Key Postings: Repatriation and New Appointment in GST Council Secretariat
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr G K Goswami IPS
Everything you ever wanted to know about e-murder, e-dacoity and data safety
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Ravikant Meena on IFS Preparation, Optionals, and Life in Forest Service
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
How Siddhartha Saxena Cracked UPSC CAPF AIR 326 Against All Odds
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Utkarsh Ujjwal IAS
IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal Shares Key Advice for UPSC Aspirants: Work Ethic, Failure, and Focus
Read the inspiring journey of IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal, 2023 batch, Gujarat cadre. From IIT Guwahati to clearing...
Sagar Datta Majumdar UPSC CSE 2024 AIR 317
“Don’t get trapped in the vicious cycle of self-doubt,” says UPSC Achiever Sagar Datta Majumdar
Discover how Sagar Datta Majumdar from Agartala, Tripura, cracked UPSC CSE 2024 with All India Rank 317....
UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Live Interaction
From Cut-off Dates to Coaching & Reforms: UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar Assures Aspirants of Fairness, Transparency & a Future-Ready UPSC | UPSC@100
A Century of Service: The UPSC’s Landmark Year Begins. Chairman Ajay Kumar on UPSC’s Centennial: “Merit,...
Social Media
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...
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Utkarsh Ujjwal IAS
IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal Shares Key Advice for UPSC Aspirants: Work Ethic, Failure, and Focus
Ministry of Defence
Defence Ministry Opens Missile and Ammunition Production to Private Sector, Boosts Aatmanirbhar Bharat
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr G K Goswami IPS
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT