https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Reaching Out to the Last Man in the Line

IAS officer and noted ghazal singer Dr Hai Om believes that the rights of the poorest person in a district are to be protected at all costs, and this is the job of the administration.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘A Nation’s greatness is measure by how it treats its weakest members’. In today’s context, it means any Government scheme or program can’t be considered successful if it fails to benefit the last man standing. Inspired by this thought of Mahatma, the 1997 batch officer Dr. Hari Om initiated a practice to visit the poorest person in a village and ask if he is getting all the benefits or not. 

Dr Om, who is also a noted ghazal singer and a poet, shares his experiences with Indian Masterminds. He is currently posted as Secretary, General Administration Department in Uttar Pradesh government.

The Collector of 11 district

Dr. Om is one of those rare officers who, during his extensive tenure, got the chance to head 11 districts as the Collector. Sharing his experiences, he said, “I believe that as an IAS officer, one can get the most satisfying experience as the Collector only. This job gives an opportunity to take the decisions then & there, which can impact lives of many, be they individuals, families or even a full village. Since I was part of 11 districts, at various times, I got many chances to bring smile & joy on the faces of hundreds of people. From peacefully conducting elections to organizing relief works, I was part of many campaigns and initiatives”. 

The poorest should benefit

During his tenure as the Collector of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh between 2005-07,  Dr. Om did a unique experiment, inspired by the teachings of Gandhi. He came up with an initiative called ‘Daridra Narayan Vikas Jyoti’. Mentioning about it he said, “It is the responsibility of every Collector to check the status of every scheme and its impact in his area. Basically, the field visits are very important. This helps to understand if the schools in your district are functioning properly or not, what is the condition of roads and other basic necessities. To go one step ahead, we came up with our intervention”. 

Under this, Dr. Om and other officers in his team would visit a village once in a month. They then would meet the `panchayat’ members or `pradhan’ and ask them about the poorest person in their area. After this they would meet that person and ask him about how much they have benefitted from the government schemes. They would also be quizzed about the programs about which they knew very little or nothing at all. they are not even aware about.

 “In most of the cases,’’ said Dr. Om, “that person would be deprived of almost all the benefits of the Government schemes and campaigns. We would question the `village pradhan’ for this. I am really happy to share that this simple thing had a great impact in my district, as this made the pradhan accountable for his failures. With this step not only that one single person but all the others needy people too got benefitted. Mr. Om believe that there should be a report card to check the performance of administration 


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