Village Visit Tour : Encountering Realities

Recently I was on a Village Visit Tour to Bhikhewala village, which is located in the Jind district of Haryana. It was a group of six of us (5 IAS+1 IPS) and we were touring the village from 3rd to 10 November. On the first day, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) gave us introduction about the district and the issues we had to deal. The issues were Education, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), Education, Health and Sanitation and Agriculture. In the end the District Collector (DM) had a meeting with all of us and we submitted our findings to him.

We were made to stay in a Punjab National Bank Farmer's Training Centre near the village. The hospitality was great and food was even greater, Punjab and Haryana can never be doubted on this. We were attached with Block Development Officer (BDO) of the concerned Block and was provided with an official vehicle to move around. When we reached the Training Centre, BDO, Village Headman or Pradhan (Sarpanch of Panchayat), Village Secretary (Gram Sachiv) and many other local level level administrators were present. For the fist time, feeling of doing some administrative work was dawning upon. 

Over the next few days, we interacted with the School headmaster, teachers, students, Pradhan, other official persons, villagers, ASHA, youths of the village etc. By interacting with them and carrying out various activities as instructed by our Academy, we came to know about the actual problems and prospects of that village. Though I myself is from a rural background, but still this was very different. 

Villages of Haryana are supposed to be advanced, but still I didn't find it very good, may be because my own village and other villages I have been in Rajasthan, were better that it in many ways. But still, interaction with students from all classes, getting to know exact working of ground level administration by different officials, and watching everything in official capacity was very encouraging. Eating mid-day meal for the first time, supervising the teaching and teachers for the first time, looking at the heaps of cow-dung from a different angle for the first time, listening to the problems of villagers as an official for the first time and many other things alike can't be described in words.

Though we were only trainees, but the villagers treated us as if we were going to bring a revolution in the village. The heart-breaking tales of corruption, negligence, favoritism etc were eye-openers. Lack of education to children after class X, lack of support to the youths etc were issues towards which we felt so handcuffed as we could do nothing but listen and preach some moral tales as to what could be done. 

After having gone through all this, I am raring to go to district as my first posting as soon as possible so that I can bring as much change as I can within my official capacity.