https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Sweeping in Changes with ‘Padhai bhi, Safai bhi’

CEO of Chandrapur Zila Parishad, Mittali Sethi, IAS, is working round the clock towards improving the health, education and sanitation sectors In her earlier posting in Melghat, she had worked extensively for the local tribal population and had even made two documentaries on them The documentaries were screened at the Pune International Film Festival, and ‘Rani Beti’ won the third prize and a cash award
Indian Masterminds Stories

The CEO of Chandrapur Zila Parishad in Maharashtra, 2017-batch IAS officer Mittali Sethi, is doing some commendable work in the field of health, education and sanitation. These sectors are especially close to her heart, as in her earlier posting, too, as Project officer, Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP), Melghat, she had brought about changes in these fields by her initiatives.

In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, she talked about the initiatives that ushered in changes in Chandrapur as well as Melghat.

PADHAI BHI SAFAI BHI IN CHANDRAPUR

As CEO, ZP, Chandrapur, Ms. Sethi is working extensively towards improving the education sector. The Padhai bhi Safai bhi initiative aims to build around 150 community libraries in the next six months. They have identified buildings which are dilapidated and have started refurbishing and refabricating them. Out of the 150 libraries, two of them are ready for use while the others are in the process of getting electricity connection.

The administration is paying special attention to building the infrastructure in the schools, specially toilets and handwash stations. Data collected through Open Data Kit (ODK) collection brought to light that there are many toilets and handwash stations which require repair and there are many which are not functional. 

Ms. Sethi said that this has happened because of the pandemic as schools were closed during those days and a lot of infrastructure were lying unused.

“Also, when a rural school does not have sanitary vending machine, this inevitably starts affecting the girl students and then they generally drop out. So, this is why, we started linking toilets with libraries to showcase that toilets are as important as libraries,” she said.

As a part of this initiative, they are also providing cycle to children who live more than 2kms away from the school.

Extra-curricular activities also take place every month in the schools of Chandrapur. “Last month, they had done painting and we collected those paintings from the schools and used them to decorate the zila parishad office,” the officer said.

While talking about sanitation and health, she said that they have selected 20 villages, with above 5000 people and are mostly urban, to build waste collection centres and carry out wet waste management at the village level. For dry waste management, they are tying up with agencies that create something out of the waste. “We are doing stakeholders mapping and identifying anganwadis and self help groups who can help us with this campaign, and then make it a movement that people will adopt,” Ms. Sethi said. 

MELGHAT INITIATIVES

Ms. Sethi was earlier posted in Melghat where a lot of people of the Korku tribal community live. Here, she worked for eradicating malnutrition, which, she discovered, started happening when the children along with their parents had migrated back to the area during the lockdown. The peak happened from April to June. That’s when the team built a migration tracking application and created a state migration committee. “We piloted it in six districts last year, and this year, we are scaling it up to cover the entire state,” she said. 

She also worked towards making the people aware about the Covid vaccine as initially there was a lot of hesitancy to take it. She also took many vaccination tutorials for the tribal people in their language, so that they understand better.

MADE DOCUMENTARIES

While posted in Melghat, she also made two documentaries named Rani Beti and Chanki Sokda. She wrote the script and a Korku teacher recorded the song for the documentary, while some constables acted in it.

Documentary: Rani Beti

“Both the documentaries got selected for the Pune International Film Festival screening and Rani Beti won the third prize and Rs. 25,000 as cash award,” Ms. Sethi said.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
SJVN
Leadership Continuity: Rajendra Prasad Goyal Given Additional Charge as Director (Finance) of SJVN Ltd- Know more about Him
government-of-haryana
Haryana Government Transfers 2 IPS, 13 HPS Officers in Major Police Reshuffle- Check Details
scam
‘Hello, This is IPS Officer Speaking…’: 9th-Pass Youth Tricks Cops in Three States with Fake Voice Scam
Screenshot 2025-07-18 214334
L&T Chairman Mr. S.N. Subrahmanyan’s FY25 Remuneration Jumps Nearly 50% to Rs. 76.25 Crore!
bureaucracy news
Appointments Update: IRS Kommisetty Murlidhar to Join Andhra Govt; Jay Nath Yadav Inducted into IAS
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB)
Indian Overseas Bank Plans Rs. 4,000 Crore Fundraising via QIP; Net Profit Soars 76% in Q1 FY26
Paresh Saxena IPS
IPS Officer Dr Paresh Saxena Protests Empanelment Denial, Returns President’s Distinguished Service Medal
Screenshot 2025-07-18 212145
Chhattisgarh: CM Vishnu Deo Sai Unveils ‘Anjor Vision @ 2047’ - A Bold Roadmap for a Developed Future!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
The Secret of The Secret – How To Make The Universe Conspire For You
AI 171 CRASH
AAIB Initial Probe In AI-171 Crash Questioned By Aviation Experts
Ravi Kapoor
Why Ex-IRS Officer Ravi Kapoor Walked Away from Power
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Bhavesh Royada
“People often don’t put in the effort required for exams of this level,” Bhavesh Royada
Bhavesh Royada left a stable engineering job to follow his passion for nature. Overcoming failures and...
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-14 at 15.58
The Economist Who Became an IFS Officer
How Abhimanyu Gahlaut balanced global economics and civil services dreams to crack UPSC with AIR 38
Disha Dwivedi UPSC
How Disha Dwivedi Cracked UPSC in Her Sixth Attempt with Unshakable Determination
Disha Dwivedi’s UPSC journey from five prelims failures to securing AIR 672 in 2024 showcases strategic...
Social Media
Screenshot 2025-07-18 203508
Majestic Tiger Rescue and Release in Sundarbans Captivates the Internet: IFS Susanta Nanda Shares Video On X
The video captures the tiger’s strength, agility, and instinct—a breathtaking sight as the big cat slices...
Standing Leopard
Leopard Stuns Internet by Standing on Two Legs Like a Meerkat
A rare video of a leopard standing on two legs in Kruger Park stuns viewers and goes viral across social...
G S Roshni
Kerala’s Fearless Forest Officer G.S. Roshni Rescues 16-Foot King Cobra with Bare Hands, Garners Praise & Critique
Beat Forest Officer G.S. Roshni’s first-ever king cobra rescue goes viral, earning her the title of ‘Green...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
SJVN
Leadership Continuity: Rajendra Prasad Goyal Given Additional Charge as Director (Finance) of SJVN Ltd- Know more about Him
government-of-haryana
Haryana Government Transfers 2 IPS, 13 HPS Officers in Major Police Reshuffle- Check Details
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
AI 171 CRASH
Ravi Kapoor
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT