The Motive
“My father gave me the ambition of becoming an I.A.S. officer when I was five,” recalls Sumita Dawra, Principal Secretary to Government of AP, Department of Higher Education who was also formerly Counsellor (Economic), Embassy of India, Beijing. It’s been over two decades since her first posting in Rajahmundry, and there has been no looking back for her. “I was offered Punjab cadre since I am from that place, but when I rejected Punjab, Andhra Pradesh was offered and I jumped at that opportunity,” shares Dawra, who was posted in Karimnagar as a collector from 2001 to 2004.
Her recently launched book, ‘China-Behind the Miracle’ (Bloomsbury, Nov 2015) has been widely reviewed in both print and digital media. An international edition of the book has also been launched.
Her previous book, ‘Poor But Spirited in Karimnagar: Field Notes of a Civil Servant’ (Harper Collins India, Oct 2012), is a best seller that chronicles her experiences during her service in Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. It is a strong comment on public policy and governance in India, and is reflective of voices from the field, of the stake holders.
How did it start
As mentioned earlier, Sumita was given this ambition by her father. And, once she managed to achieve her goal, she says she was was lost and wondered what to do next. That is when her father advised that her next goal should be to build her reputation and do her job well – and that is what she has tried to do. As a woman, she always thought that a job in the civil services will ensure that she can conduct herself independently, and will be treated as an equal. And, that is what happened – she has received a host of opportunities for public service in my tenure thus far.
Life as a collector
As a collector, she has always tried to get to the grass-roots level to solve problems. She kept an open door policy and was accessible for consultation to public for any problem they faced. She consulted all stakeholders, right from the people and the Panchayats to the local politicians and NGOs, in pursuit of solutions. “I believe that since it is the people who are facing the problem, they are the ones who can understand it the best,” is her belief. “A collector can act like a facilitator and help them solve that problem, by making them work together,” she added.
When she was in Karimnagar…
“There were a lot of problems in that district. Student drop-out rate from school was on a high, pass percentage in 10th class was low, suicide rate of powerloom weavers was high in Sircilla, among many other problems. I worked towards bringing down the drop-out rate to less than 1,000. My attempt to bring up the pass percentage in class 10 worked to an extent and the pass percentage was around 89 % in 2004. Apart from that, I cooperated with the weavers with respect to the Textile Park in Sircilla,” said Sumita in an interview to the New Indian Express.
A book on poverty
“‘Poor But Spirited in Karimnagar’ can be taken as a book on poverty – on how to deal with poverty issues. It deals with my experiences in implementation of schemes and programmes in the field of poverty alleviation, education, health, agriculture, water and sanitation and urban governance. The book has been categorised into seven chapters – each explaining its story and reflects a different way of doing things to make them work. I started working on a dissertation when I was in the UK, and the topic was ‘wicked issues’. Wicked issues are issues which are prevalent despite the use of all the resources to eliminate them. So, they have to be approached in a different way. So, I worked on my dissertation to make it more readable and converted it into this book. I hope this book helps.”
Governing can be made better by …
“I believe that governing can be made better by empowering people. A collector should work together with everyone in the place. And, people can be empowered by making sure they are educated. If education is taken care of, it helps people think better, understand better – they themselves will ensure that their children don’t drop out of school and life in general can be improved through the tool of education,” holds Sumita.
Personal vs Professional life
As an IAS officer, trying to strike a balance between personal and professional tasks is no mean feat. Being a civil servant means shifting from one place to another, which not only affected her but also had an impact on her family. “I have a daughter, who has had to shift schools and adjust to new places because of the same. However, on the other hand, it has also made her a lot of more sensitive to various issues like development and poverty because of the first-hand experiences she had during my postings,” says Sumita.
When she looks back …
“It is a humbling feeling to see if I have made a difference in people’s lives. But, there is a lot more to do. After my posting in Beijing, I want to get into policy-making. However, that is what I want, but I will have to do what I am asked to – because at the end of the day, I am a government servant,” she said in an interview to the Indian Express.