Highlanders Plainspeak: An Administrative Rede

ABOUT THE BOOK:- The “Highlander's Plainspeak: an Administrative Rede” is a unique narrative. Structured over important posts held by author over a period of thirty three years of active service in Indian Administration, it recounts personal novel experiences while critically analysing reformative and developmental interventions. It spans wide-ranging fields of administration. From policy-making to implementation of schemes, taxation and planned spending, it forays into the unexpected heavy fire-fighting during natural disasters and emergencies, besides challenging brushes with polity and judiciary. It can be useful not only for the budding aspirants and administrators but also to those having academic interest in nuances and caveats, potential and paradoxes of the Indian administrative system in all its facets. The book shows how the system rewards and motivates but also punishes and bruises, sometimes without rhyme or reason. Misunderstandings with seniors, contemporaries and friends can be common, and at times vicious. The narratives reveal how an administrator can exercise functional leverage through specific and broad-based interventions at every rung of hierarchy, even while holding posts type-cast as administratively insignificant. The book reflects the die-hard spirit of an emotionally-detached administrator, who turned his assignments into the most productive ones for the public at large. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:- The author, Dr. Taradatt, earned his Ph.D. from Banaras Hindu University after completing dual Masters degrees in Sanskrit, with specialization in Literature, and Indian Philosophy. Showing competitive mettle, he got placed in Indian Administrative Service in 1983. In a career spanning 33 years, he innovated and visibly transformed land administration, agriculture, rural and tribal development, disaster management, and varied other fields. His forte was delivering timely and effective public service across all positions held in State Government of Odisha and Central Government. He rose to the top rung by dint of hard work, sincerity, intelligence, sheer grit, and unimpeachable integrity. He has numerous articles in Sanskrit, English and Odia published in reputed journals and dailies, besides four books to his credit on tribal development, block development administration, Advaita Philosophy of Aadi Sankara, and reality and imaginations in relation to Kailash-Manasarovar. CONTENTS:- Foreword. 11 Preface. 15 Acronyms and Abbreviations. 19 1. Firmly Grounded Early Life, Education and Training. 23 Family and Education Training: a vital necessity 2. First Cut in Revenue, Regulatory, Development Administration. 39 Charge Officer, Settlement, Jeypore, Koraput Transfer to Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi District Difficulties Faced Early On Exposed to Misuse of Power Skewed Distribution of Land First Exposure to Administration: Sub Collector How Grounding in Settlement Helped Eviction of Encroachments Other Revenue Administration Functions Implementation of Priority Sector Programmes Public Distribution System and Social Welfare Schemes Unnecessary Administrative Rituals Flavour of First Promotion: Project Director in DRDA, Balangir Overturning Mismanagement and Implementation of Schemes Streamlining Office and Field Administration Sylvan Green Pastures at DRDA Sambalpur Initial Hiccups in Sambalpur Improving the Ecosystem Innovations to Redress Deficiencies in Schemes and Programmes Correcting the Mechanical Approach and Improper Methodology Promotion of Non-Conventional Energy and Other Schemes Shifting to the new DRDA Office Building Management of Homes for the Destitute 3. Decisive District Administration: Ganjam. 85 An Unexpected Students’ Agitation An Unprecedented Natural Calamity Damage and Restoration Operational Difficulties Misunderstanding and Confrontation Exploitation by Some and Enforcement by Administration Rural Development Works in Ganjam Misunderstanding with RDC Communal Conflict Efforts towards Total Literacy and Exit Things Which Remained Unattended Expression of Public Appreciation and Rejection of Favours 4. Desk Jobs in the Secretariat and Foreign Training. 119 Five Weeks in Industries Department Tasks Assigned in Panchayat Raj Department Heading a Department: Director, Tribal Welfare Untangling Knots in OTDP, Kashipur Tribal Education: Achieving Certification of Merit Historical ‘Exclusion’ of Tribal Development Vested Interests at Work in ST&SC Development Department Contempt of Court Implementing Reservation Single Line Administration: A Paradox Foreign Training: First OVERSEAS Exposure Mass Education: MY least productive assignment 5. Deep Plough: Agriculture & Food Production. 149 Sorry State of Agriculture in the State Streamlining Administration: A Pre-Requisite Achieving High Yields in HYV Certified Seeds Turnover in Seeds of Odisha State Seeds Corporation Aggressive Push to Farm Mechanisation Large-Scale Soil Testing Micro-Irrigation Diversification of Production Swift Revival of Odisha Agro Industries Corporation Sorting Out Convoluted, Unseen Dimensions of Agriculture Hybrid Seeds and Cultivation of a Scam Seeds of an Investigation by CBI End of My Innings in Agriculture Department 6. A Bit of Everything. 183 Once more in Panchayat Raj Department (Vigilance) Hitting Bull’s Eye in OSCSC A short creative tenure in GAA Stymied and Stalled in Fisheries & Animal Resource Development 7. Central Sojourn: Handling Home Affairs and AYUSH. 201 Ringside View of Functioning of Constitution: Home Affairs Functioning of Zonal Councils of States Reorganising States is not about size; natural resources matter Centre-State Relations – Window Dressing A Minor Personal Disappointment AYUSH: Appearance and Reality Holistic Reforms and Mainstreaming Indian Systems of Medicine Embedding Standards in Educational Institutions Administrative Affairs in AYUSH A second baseless CBI Investigation 8. Taxing Life: Administration of Commercial Taxes in Odisha. 223 Administrative Difficulties in Implementing Value Aid Tax (VAT) Creating Healthy Office Conditions for Healthy Tax Collections Overcoming Staff Stagnation and Demoralisation Twin Tracks: Tax Mobilisation and Enforcement Minister’s Restlessness Tax Brushing Some Well-known Industrial Enterprises Bhubaneswar and Cuttack Club or Cabal? Resisting Interference in Transfers and Postings and Other Matters 9. Equity and Equality: ST&SC and OBC & Minorities Welfare. 245 Magical Development of a Thousand 100-seated ST Girls’ Hostels Building Educational Complexes for Particularly Vulnerable Tribals Ekalavya Model for Tribal Residential Schools From Elementary to Higher ST/SC Education in 8 KBK Districts 54 Residential High Schools for ST Girls Usher Parity with ST Boys Rationalisation of Admissions in Hostels Hard Landing of Soft Skills Vital to Promote Tribal Education Launching Innovative Tribal Education: Ramakrishna Mission Partial Success at Rationalising Student Scholarships, Staff Remunerations Misunderstanding with Minister, déjà vu Making a Cooperative Corporation Stand on its Feet Two Vital Schemes for Economic Development Dead Against Social Discrimination of SCs OBC Politics in the State Office Reforms Handling Ethnic Conflict in Kandhamal: No Easy Task Odisha Scores High on Conferring Land Rights to Tribal Families Did It Have To End This Way? Some Embarrassing Moments 10. Multiple Hats: Cooperation, Excise and Rural Development. 289 Cooperation Department Anarchy in Crop Loans and Paddy Procurements Quirks of Fate Secure Completion of Market Yard for Fish at Chilika Success in Democratising Institutions; Infrastructure Remains a Dream So Close to Refunding Depositors’ Dues of a Collapsed Bank Investments and Losses: Finger-Pointing at Erstwhile MD, OSCB Cleaning Operations State’s Excise Policy and its implementation Liquor Guzzling Godowns: Improving Delivery Systems Replacing Degrading Poly-Packs: Bottling Country Liquor at Aska Tragedy with Liquor: Hooch Deaths Exposing Rampant Cultivation of Cannabis Tenure in Rural Development: Hoisting Flags of Flagship Schemes Prime Minister’s Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) Rural Sanitation and Drinking Water 11. Highest Office: Cabinet Secretariat and its functioning. 315 Steely Resolve Underpinned Auctioning of 3G Spectrum 24x7x365 Handling Defence, Security, Intelligence Work Commonwealth Games-2010: Making it Happen Finally Investigative Aftermath of CWG-2010: Public Deserved Better My experience in CWG-2010 is used in South Asian Games-2016 Some Other Tasks Performed in Cabinet Secretariat Stress and Strain 12. Saving Precious Lives: Revenue and Disaster Management. 359 Completing Land Settlement Operations Left Undone Land Records: Transforming and Modernising Offices and Systems Retrieving Government Land from Bellicose Bulls, while Bearing Risks Exposing and Disposing Fraudulent Government Land Leases Bringing Discipline, Accountability in Land Acquisition and R&R in Law Reformative Ransacking of Land Acquisition and R&R Rules Government’s Poor R&R Track Record Abdication of Responsibility by Nodal Department/Agency Making Registration Offices Intrinsically ‘Swatchh’ and Modern No Political Traction for Dealing with Land Classification nor Share-Cropping Other Legislative and Administrative Reforms Modernisation of Tahasils Plugging other Legal and Administrative Loopholes Settling GramkanthbParomboke, Abadi, Khasmahal and Nazul Land Saga of Paradip Port Streamlining Administration and Other Interventions High risk but no choice: Heading the Task Force on Quotas Bhubaneswar Development Authority Cuttack Development Authority Odisha State Housing Board General Administration Department Critical analysis and broad conclusions Submission of Report and its Expected Aftermath HEIGHTENED PREPARATIONS: DISASTER MANAGEMENT Vigorous Development: National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Preparing the State Disaster Management Plan Mock Drills to Test Preparedness: Leaving Nothing to Chance Very Severe Cyclone Phailin Strikes, but Precious Lives Saved National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-II Close to Settling Satbhaya 13. KBK Districts: Superior Endowments, Conspicuous Deficits. 453 KBK Administration: A Curtain Raiser Critical Efforts: Intensity for Steady Transformation in KBK Districts Execution of other Infrastructure Projects Capacity Building: Essential Nurturing, Mainstreaming Local Youth Decentralization and Selection of Contractors on Nomination Basis Health and Family Welfare The Mess in Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Elementary, Vocational and Higher Education in KBK Districts Implementation of Priority Sector Programmes Irrigation Projects in KBK Districts Closure of Innings as Chief Administrator, KBK Districts 14. The Past Gone, Seizing Today: Closure of Innings. 495 Preparation of 30 District Gazetteers: Unfinished Symphony? Just a Bitter Taste at Closure of Administrative Innings Temptation or Threat to Transfer and Organised Campaign Anonymous Petition that was not Rightfully Consigned to Anonymity Odisha: Paradoxes, Opportunities, Politics and Bureaucracy Developmental Distortions What Ails Poverty Alleviation Programmes My Final Take The Title 'Highlander’s Plainspeak: An Administrative Rede written/authored/edited by Taradatt', published in the year 2020. The ISBN 9788121219686 is assigned to the Hardcover version of this title. This book has total of pp. 521 (Pages). The publisher of this title is Gyan Publishing House. This Book is in English. The subject of this book is Public Administration / Political Science / Biography. Size of the book is 14.34 x 22.59 cms Vol:-