https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

From BMC to United Nations, This Warrior Knows How to Fight

From handling the devastation brought about by Latur earthquake in 1993 to managing Covid 19, this battle-hardened IAS officer is still a force to reckon with. Even after the recent attempts to derail him
Indian Masterminds Stories

Not all battles are fought on the borders. Nor all warriors use conventional weapons. The army of India’s corona-warriors is a case in point, in particular the enterprising civil servants who have been battling the coroavirus in their unique ways, in different districts of the country.

But at times, a warrior fights not only the external enemy- such as Covid 19- but also attempts within the bureaucracy and the administration to bring him down. Praveen Pardeshi, one of the most high profile bureaucrats in the earlier BJP Government at Maharashtra, when Mr Devendra Fadnavis was the Chief Minister, he was often referred to as the second power centre- and even the `Second CM’. Otherwise he is a 1985-batch IAS officer.

In 2018, CM Fadnavis appointed Praveen as the commissioner of the powerful Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In November 2019, when Udhav Thakeray became the state CM, he let Praveen continue as the top man of BMC with no undue interference.

Mumbai’s Corona Warrior

In fact, when Covid 19 struck India and the first nationwide lockdown came into effect in March 2020, Praveen Pardeshi quickly proved his mettle. When it came to the spread of the deadly virus, Mumbai- housing one of the Asia’s largest slums in Dharavi- quickly came under intense gaze of the policy makers.

Dharavi

Everybody “knew’’ Mumbai, of all the metro cities of India, was a ticking time bomb, a sitting duck of a target so to speak.

Here, credit must go to Praveen Pardeshi to prove all the doubters and dooms-day prophets wrong. People forgot that he was a veteran of another big battle which played out in Maharashtra in the 90s, in the form of massive Latur earthquake. In 1993, when the earthquake came, he was a young district collector of Latur. It was in the spirit of the warrior that Praveen Pardeshi oversaw relief and rehabilitation work in Latur.

The lessons which Praveen learned in Latur 27 years ago, he replicated in the Covid stricken Mumbai of 2020. And with admirable success. For several weeks, the Covid 19 patients remained below 5,000, before they started inching upto 7,000. This happened mainly due to stringent measures that Praveen initiated for Mumbai. It also became one of the first cities to start strict contact tracing and containment strategies to stop the spread of the virus.

New Challenges, New Foes

The corona patients in Mumbai crossed 10,000 despite all precautions and contingency measures. And in May 2020, Praveen Pardeshi was suddenly shunted out of the BMC. His fault? No, it was not coronavirus- other places had done worse than Mumbai. It was because he had reportedly refused to sign an order allowing opening of liquor shops in Mumbai. The IAS stuck to his guns, despite knowing what it meant to come in the Government’s crosshairs.

In one stroke of State Government’s order, Praveen Pardeshi was shunted out of BMC. His new posting: additional commissioner in the Urban Development Department of Maharashtra.

But Praveen Pardeshi’s story did not end here. Then came the news that Praveen would be starting his new inning at the United Nations! He has joined the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) as global programme coordinator.

United Nations Headquarters

It would be proper to say that as a warrior, this IAS officer’s journey is still continuing.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
UPSC New Logo
UPSC to Publish Provisional Answer Key After Prelims for First Time, Enabling Objections and Transparency
Snow leopard cubs
Himachal Pradesh Records 83 Snow Leopards as Rare Pallas’s Cat and Flying Squirrel Spotted for First Time
Ministry of Mines
Ministry of Mines Opens ₹1,500 Crore Incentive Scheme for Critical Mineral Recycling in India
ICGS Akshar
ICGS Akshar Commissioned at Karaikal: Indigenous Fast Patrol Vessel Boosts Indian Coast Guard Capabilities
TEC IIIT Naya Raipur
TEC and IIIT Naya Raipur Sign MoU to Drive Innovation in 5G, 6G, and Future Telecom Standards
Bhupendra Patel Gujarat Dipotsavi 2081
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel Unveils Dipotsavi 2081 Celebrating State’s Rich Literary and Cultural Heritage
CEC Gyanesh Kumar
All Eyes on Bihar: EC Reviews Poll Readiness, CEC IAS Gyanesh Kumar Calls Political Parties Pillars of Democracy
Digital-India-
Digital India’s Game-Changer: Is India Poised for a Complete Shift to Indigenous Platforms?
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
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,...
Giriraj Parihar MPPSC 2024
From Constable to Deputy Collector: Giriraj Parihar’s 9-Year MPPSC Journey | Farmer’s Son, Brother to Five Sisters
From a jail guard to MPPSC 2024 Rank 8, Giriraj Parihar’s nine-year journey of self-study, hard work,...
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
UPSC New Logo
UPSC to Publish Provisional Answer Key After Prelims for First Time, Enabling Objections and Transparency
Snow leopard cubs
Himachal Pradesh Records 83 Snow Leopards as Rare Pallas’s Cat and Flying Squirrel Spotted for First Time
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr G K Goswami IPS
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Siddhartha Saxena UPSC CAPF
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT