People crying their hearts out over a government officer’s transfer is unusual, though not unheard of. And when children do it, it is indeed a rare sight. This is exactly what happened in the Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh. In a primary school, children cried uncontrollably as they hugged the CDO (Chief Development Officer) of Deoria, Mr. Ravindra Kumar, who got transferred to Lucknow.
Similar scenes were repeated at many places where the officer went for farewell functions.
It can be easily surmised that Mr. Kumar had made for himself in the hearts of the people of Deoria district.
Indian Masterminds interacted with the 2004 batch PCS officer, who has since, been promoted to IAS rank and transferred to Lucknow as staff officer to the Chief Secretary.
ADOPTING A SCHOOL
Mr. Kumar was posted as CDO in Deoria in August 2021. Soon after, he adopted a primary school and changed it for the better.
He focussed on rural areas and built many parks and sports grounds in every block. He ensured that the Health Department held Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) sessions were held in every school, where health awareness was spread regarding newborn babies, below 6 months.
While attending one programme in a primary school in Ruchhapar village of Baitalpur block on September 8, 2022, Mr. Kumar saw that there was a severe lack of basic facilities. The school infrastructure was very bad and it was in a dilapidated condition.
He expressed extreme displeasure over this but later came to know that the head teacher of the school, Nityanand Choubey, was helping the students monetarily and was also doing many vital works by spending from his salary. The officer also noticed that the school children were very energetic and talented but there was a lack of resources.
So he adopted that school and started renovating it using funds from various schemes and raising money from the public with the help of NGOs and social workers.
Within a few months, the school building was repaired. All the classes were converted into smart classes. A library was developed. To ensure that smart classes do not stop due to power cuts, an inverter was installed. RO water coolers, fans, solar lights, and CCTV cameras were also installed.
A beautiful park was built for the children in the school, where Brazilian grass was planted. A kitchen garden was also created where organic vegetables are grown and served to children in the mid-day meals.
From time to time, children are sent out for field trips. A separate fund was specially created for this. Recently, the children went to Gorakhpur where they visited the planetarium and the zoo.
Mr. Kumar said, “This school is now competing with some of the best schools in the district, and even the state. Children studying in convents are now coming here to take admission. I have promised the children that I will visit them whenever I have free time. And, I will continue to provide every possible help to the school.”
Recently, 20-25 children in the area left a convent school and to get admission in this school. Last year, there were 106 children, but this year, the number has gone up to 177. Children within a radius of 8 km come to study in this school. Many have left primary schools in their villages and taken admission here.
After news about the school spread, many government officials came to see it and left after heaping a lot of praise on its upkeep. The primary school has 4 teachers and 3 cooks.
KAYAKALP RANKING
Mr. Kumar also improved the ranking of the district in education through his selfless work in this field. There has been a remarkable improvement in the ranking of Deoria district in the ‘Mission Kayakalp Scheme’ for council schools. A year back, the ranking of the district was 66th in ‘Kayakalp’. But, this year, Deoria has shown exemplary growth and got the 7th position.
In the Kayakalp ranking, the quality of the school is measured on a total of 19 parameters, including infrastructure, clean drinking water, electricity supply, toilets, tiled rooms, etc.
Mr. Kumar had built divyang toilets built and smart classes installed in 142 schools. “Most of the work was done with crowdfunding and help from the common people of the district,” he said.
OTHER WORKS
Apart from all this, he had started the ‘One Block, Two Parks’ initiative and linked it to the MNREGA scheme. Under this initiative, he built 64 parks and initiated the building of 103 sports grounds in rural areas. Sixty-four grounds have already been made. Meanwhile, 3 Amrit Sarovars of the district have been praised by the state government.
MORE ABOUT THE OFFICER
Mr. Ravindra Kumar took charge as CDO in Deoria on 16 August 2021. He hails from Ambedkar Nagar and was earlier ADM Administration in Bulandshahr. He has worked as ADM and SDM in places like Mathura, Amethi, Varanasi, Firozabad, etc. His first posting as CDO was in Deoria.
ये हैं देवरिया के सीडीओ रविंद्र कुमार. इन्होंने एक स्कूल गोद लिया था. इनका तबादला हो गया. आख़िरी दिन स्कूल पहुँचे तो छात्राएं लिपटकर रोने लगीं. pic.twitter.com/Zt8ffqGY6p
— Himanshu Mishra 🇮🇳 (@himanshulive07) September 12, 2023
