“I believe we only have today in our hands. We can make plans for tomorrow, but we cannot really predict about them. Similarly, yesterday is also gone; if you cry for the past, then it has no meaning. That’s why we have only today in our hands; we should live as if today is our last day. That is why the philosophy of my life is ‘Today is mine’ and that is the title of my book.”
These powerful words are from Mr Vijay Amruta Kulange, the District Magistrate of Odisha’s Ganjam district and 2013 batch IAS officer. His own life is a reflection of his words. Today, we will talk about his other initiatives as a DM, which have changed the lives of common people of Ganjam district.
WATER BELL
DM Vijay started the ‘Water Bell’ initiative in 4000 schools of Ganjam to ensure that there is no shortage of water in the bodies of children and that they drink enough of this precious liquid. For this, children are asked to drink water by ringing the bell 3 times at a time. All the schools have to ring the bell at 11.40, 1.30 and 3.15 to remind the children of drinking water and make arrangements for the same. On Saturdays, the bells are rung at 8 am, 9.30 am and 10.50 am, with a break of five minutes each.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr Vijay said, “The aim of this initiative is to inculcate the habit of drinking water in children and to ensure that they stay hydrated. We decided to install water bells in all schools, including government, private and anganwadis in the district. Necessary instructions were issued to the school authorities. The result is very pleasant.”
CLEAN CITY
The officer has taken several initiatives to keep the city clean. His biggest initiative was to stop people from putting up posters all over the city. He issued a stern warning against the poster pasting activity and made it clear that the district administration would start imposing fines for violations.
Mr. Vijay joined a city-based organization named ‘Team Clean City’ and was seen working on the streets to remove illegal posters. This sent a message to the citizens of the district and everyone welcomed the initiative. Gradually, all unauthorised posters were removed from city parks, cinema halls and other public places as well.
As he says, “keeping public areas clean is as much the responsibility of every citizen as that of the government. That’s why I myself went on the streets and joined this initiative. It also had a positive effect on the people.”
LINE PLANTING
Mr Vijay is often seen in the fields with the farmers, where he hears about their grievances. Once his picture planting paddy saplings in the fields went viral, which was also appreciated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Says the DM, “While planting saplings in the paddy fields, I was explaining to the farmers about ‘line planting’. In this, saplings are planted in a straight line with equal distance between them. This method, which gets better manure and water, increases their productivity.”
SCHOOL AND COVID
Mr Vijay is now concentrating on school education. He explains, “To bring a big change in schools, basic facilities are being improved and special attention is being given to infrastructure. We have taken several initiatives to improve the quality of teaching and learning experience. We are also making many efforts for digital education.”
On measures to fight the third wave of Covid19, Mr Vijay says, “Right now we have only two main weapons, social distancing and vaccination. We are working a lot on these.”
As for his general approach to life, he adds “It is very important to be practical in life; there is nothing wrong with it. I still follow this philosophy. There is only one mantra to be successful: whatever you do, try to get your Everest i.e. highest point of your reach. Excellence in life is a beautiful thing, make it a habit.”
Mr Vijay’s initiatives are making life accessible to the common man. And he also likes to say that if Plan A doesn’t work, don’t lose heart. Always have Plan B in reserve and don’t hesitate to act upon it.
