https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Aiding Students and Fighting Floods in the Times of Covid 19

In our last story on Assam’s Goalpara, we had highlighted how the gutsy IAS officer posted there, Ms Varnali Deka, handled Covid 19 with support from the community members of the district. In the concluding part, we focus on how she took on other issues, including floods, which hit Goalpara at the same time.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Battling Covid 19 in Goalpara also entailed shutting down the students in their respective homes. This impacted their studies, and Ms Varnali Deka- the Deputy Commissioner of Goalpara- was quite aware of it. But she came up with a solution- YouTube! As she told Indian Masterminds, “due to shortage of teachers in the tribal areas, we launched a YouTube channel named “Goalpara Cares” on which small modular videos for each chapter were screened and taught in small groups. We also trained our teachers on digital pedagog with the help of content shared by UNICEF and with Piramal Foundation.”

She added, “Under Goalpara Techcare we were reaching out to people to donate their usable smartphones, laptops, and tablets so that we could increase the digital penetration among the students.”

THE DEVASTATING FLOODS

Assam being a flood prone region, the state was hit not just by Covid 19 but also by devastating floods that ravaged the crops, roads, and property of the region. Goalpara district bore the brunt of nature’s attack. Recalled Ms. Deka said, “this time, the floods also reached the areas which were not impacted by them for the past many years. However, we were ready with our plans. The state Chief Minister Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal had already directed all the districts to form two separate teams-  to tackle the floods as well as  Covid 19.”

Ms Varnali Deka working on the field to ensure full safety of people

She added, “The next thing was to ensure that if the district is damaged by the floods, where do we house our people? All our network of 1698 schools were made use of. The schools with boundary walls were made as isolation centres (for Covid patients) and the ones which were non-prone to floods were made as relief camps (for flood victims). The principals and the headmasters of the schools were trained and made the camps in-charge.”

Visiting the affected areas due to the devastating floods

It was a huge responsibility for Ms. Varnali Deka, which she carried out in an outstanding manner and also improved the district ranking of Goalpara. Asking her about the key takeaways from the pandemic and floods, she replied “Resilience is important during such unprecedented times and the most important thing which we did in Goalpara was the convergence of all the departments and departmental efforts. Our education, health, and social welfare departments were augmenting each other’s efforts which helped us in optimizing all our resources.”

THE COVAAS APP

The pandemic in Goalpara also sparked quite a few rumors, and to quell these Ms. Dekha again turned to technology. She recalled, “Many rumors were doing the rounds and were creating an unhealthy environment and panic among the people. The correct information was readily available with the people, but our motive was to make it more accessible in a centralized form through a mobile app itself. I thought it would counter all the rumor-mongering.

COVAAS APP
COVAAS APP
COVAAS APP

“With this idea of mine, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) developed an app that would spread the right kind of information on Covid in Assam. The app stands for Coronavirus Alert Assam (COVAAS) and has helped the residents of Assam in getting more aware of the problems and remedies related to the virus.”

The resourcefulness of Ms. Deka in successfully tackling several challenges simultaneously is something one would expect in all the civil servants of India.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services (IAS)
IAS Officer Saurav Pahari Prematurely Repatriated to West Bengal Cadre from Tea Board
Chenab River Bridge
SAIL Supplies 16,000 Tonnes of Steel for World’s Tallest Railway Bridge over Chenab River in Jammu & Kashmir
Haryana gov resized
Haryana: Govt Restructures Chief Minister’s Office; IAS Rajesh Khullar Now Handles 16 Depts, New Roles for Arun Gupta, Saket Kumar, & Yash Pal
IPS Rachita Juyal
UK: After Resignation Buzz, IPS Rachita Juyal Assigned Key Role in Rs 58 Cr Haridwar Land Scam Probe
DGP Rajeev Krishna IPS
UP's New DGP Rajeev Krishna Sets Crime Control Agenda in First Briefing: Focus on AI-Driven Policing and Women’s Safety
Mohan Yadav CM MP
Madhya Pradesh Aims to Be Global Wellness Hub: CM Mohan Yadav at Spiritual and Wellness Summit in Ujjain
UP Tourism
UP to Showcase Its Spiritual, Cultural Grandeur at PATA 2025 in Bangkok; Global Push for Tourism & Investment
Engineers India Limited EIL
Engineers India Ltd Expects 15–20% Rise in Turnover in FY26 Amid Record Order Book - Details Inside
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services (IAS)
IAS Officer Saurav Pahari Prematurely Repatriated to West Bengal Cadre from Tea Board
Chenab River Bridge
SAIL Supplies 16,000 Tonnes of Steel for World’s Tallest Railway Bridge over Chenab River in Jammu & Kashmir
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT