As 2020 comes to a close, Indian Masterminds looks back and recaptures some of the best stories it published during the year. The stories we have chosen are as varied and exciting as the world of civil servants. In some, we have highlighted the personal struggles which the UPSC aspirants had to undergo to clear the finishing line; in others, we focused on how they executed projected which caught the national- and at times, international- attention. What shines through in these stories is the personal and professional commitment of the officers to make India a better place for all of its citizens. In the first part of the series, we present the stories by our correspondent Raghav Goyal.

COMPUTER WARRIORS OF MALDA

Please make way for a new Silicon Valley in the Malda region of West Bengal. No, it’s not a laughing matter. A young IAS officer posted here has just proved what true determination can achieve. Initiated by the Assistant Collector Mr. Naveen Kumar Chandra, it’s a project imparting specialized computer education to the girl students in the Government schools here.

The unique initiative is already turning heads from India to the United States, as it has caught the attention of search engine behemoth Google Inc. Before this, the only worthwhile contribution of Malda to the Indian economy was mangoes. That too for only three months in a year.

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All that is now set to change. Naveen Chandra, the IITian turned IAS officer of West Bengal cadre (2018-batch) is bent upon giving a face-lift to Malda. The project started by him goes by the tagline `Malda Girls Go Coding’, and involves teaching computer coding to 40 girls from two villages of Malda.

This, Mr. Naveen Kumar told Indian Masterminds, would help the students in making inroads into serious computer studies. The program, incidentally, is part of a wider set up that aims to abolish girl child marriages and provide women empowerment in the Malda district.

To read the whole story, click here: Computer Warriors of Malda

THE IGP WHO STARTED AS CONSTRUCTION WORKER- AND FAILED IN CLASS 10

Having failed in class 10 board exams does not stop you from becoming educated later on. Nor does working as a construction laborer in the teenage prevent you from becoming a civil servant. Inspector-General of Police in Kerala, Mr. P Vijayan, is a living example of the one who faced both these situations and came out with flying colours.

Born in Puthoormadam, near Kozhikode in North Kerala, Mr. Vijayan realised from the very beginning that life had handed him a sour lemon. And it would be peppered with strange ironies. For instance, in his village, most people lived up to the age of 90, yet its literacy rate was abysmal.

Perhaps it was these ironies that made Mr. Vijayan stronger and smarter. And he learned that even when pressed under the weight of really bad situations, one can also choose a way out of these. And this is what he did all along.

His father, P. Velayudhan was a farmer and owned a small land, which he used to cultivate. His mother Leela, on the other hand, was a housewife who would also help her husband in farming activities. Mr. Vijayan was the third eldest child out of a total of seven siblings, with four brothers and two sisters.

To read the full story, click here: P Vijayan IPS

THE GANJAM MODEL OF TACKLING COVID 19

With the onset of Covid 19 pandemic in India, some districts went out of the way and did exemplary work in curbing the rising positive cases. Somewhat, this pandemic also created an opportunity for such districts to outshine and get recognized in the country. Bhilwara and Kasaragod were the two models which became an example for other districts and their methods of curbing the pandemic was also being replicated in many other areas.

Not known to many, the Ganjam district in Odisha also became an exception, as it laid precautionary measures even before any other district in the country. On March 15, the Ganjam administration promulgated section 144 of CrPCin the district, even before the first lockdown was announced by the Government of India. It was also the first district to enforce compulsory wearing of masks, with a fine of  Rs. 200 for every violation.

In an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds, District Collector of Ganjam, Mr. Vijay Amruta Kulange explained how they managed to deal with an influx of 4.3 lakh migrant workers by adopting the model of “Active Participation of Community”.

To read the full story, click here: The Ganjam Model

IS MOTTO: REACH OUT TO NEEDY AND HELPLESS

‘Non nobis solum nati sumus’- Not for ourselves alone we are born, this quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman statesman who played an important role in the politics of the late Roman Republic, means “humans have been created for the sake of others of their kind, indeed, to benefit each other as much as possible”.

Today, when we are in the middle of a pandemic, it is required that every single person contributes to the greater good of humanity, apart from looking out for their own interests. Many people have been at the forefront and aiding people beyond their duties. Such people include this IPS officer who is also known as the Sonu Sood of Chhattisgarh.

 Mr. Dipanshu Kabra, the officer, has been assisting the distressed and the needy not only in his state but across the whole country.

To read the full story click here: Mr. Dipanshu Kabra

CIVIL SERVANTS-TURNED-MENTORS, THEY HAVE PRODUCED 600 UPSC WINNERS

Determining what your real passion is not always easy. At times, the success one covets for a long time turns out to be a chimera, with the realization that it was not the real thing. Something on these lines happened to IAS officer Mr. Israel Jebasingh- when he realized that perhaps he was not made to be a civil servant in the first

The bigger realization, the one which gave purpose and meaning to Mr. Jebasingh, was that he would be better off mentoring UPSC aspirants! And that’s what he has been doing now.

Mr. Jebasingh started his own coaching institute for aspiring civil servants. He founded the Officers IAS Academy in 2013 and has been working as a full-time faculty for the past eight years. The academy is run by a team of seven-members, who have served in the All India Services but have either retired or quit the services to chase a passion like Mr. Jebasingh.

To read the full story click here: Israel Jebasingh