Bundi Collector’s new initiatives resonate with locals!

Jaipur: It has been seen that young IAS, who have been appointed first or second time Collector of a district are full of enthusiasm, are highly motivated and look to undertake a new step for betterment. With this ‘new thinking’, they carve a niche for themselves in the bureaucracy and polity alike. One such young IAS is the 2016 batch officer Ravindra Goswami, who has been appointed as Bundi Collector, for the first time. He has taken up a new project to better the handwriting of primary class students. He believes that since handwriting is suffering in the early age, due to this, ultimately academic outcomes suffer. He believes that bad handwriting is a hurdle to development. Primary class students of government schools sit on the floor and write in their copies by placing them on their laps, as they are devoid of tables and desks resulting in unequal distribution of force on the pencil and notebook, which damages the hand writing. Goswami’s project revolves around providing desks to school kids and arrangements are made through donations. One desk of steel and iron costs an average of Rs 900 and one desk can accommodate 5 children. There are total 1,200 primary schools in Bundi and among these, 6,000 desks have been provided in 400 schools. Goswami says that by January 2023, the project would be implemented in all 1,200 schools as local ‘Bhamashahs’ have come forward to support the project.

Goswami is excited that a positive result of the project has come forward and in reality the handwriting of children has improved manifolds. It has merely been 4 months since Goswami took over the reins of Bundi Collector and apart from the handwriting improvement project, he is also working on two more missions - ‘Coffee with Collector’ and ‘Behtareen Bundi’. Coffee with Collector means an informal conversation with people wherein, people from different walks of life and communities are called in groups and are given a chance to say what they want to without any worry. As a result, people also share their opinions and advices. In the ‘Behtareen Bundi’ mission, the people of the city are made to realise that their city is their home. Whatsapp groups have been created & details of all problems, including cleanliness related issues, are noted. The monitoring of this aspect is assigned to officers & are worked upon. The mission is getting peoples’ support in every possible manner. Goswami, who became IAS after leaving post-graduation study of Surgery, is a native of Jaipur. Before heading to Bundi, he has served on the important position of Joint Secretary in DoP from July 2020 to July 2022 in the State Secretariat.