NOT JUST A CIVIL SERVANT - ANIL SWARUP

188 Pages·2019·2.26 MB·English

Unicorn Books Pvt. Ltd.
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• E-mail: [email protected]
Edition: 2019
e-ISBN: 9788178067872
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Cover Design: PitchWorx
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Dedicated to my Parents
I am what I am because of them
Some Comments about the Book
An inspiring tale of what a few good officers can achieve despite the hurdles
and red tape of India’s soul killing bureaucracy. It confirms once again that
the enemy of development is within. The book is written with honesty and
passion by a person who worked all his life inside this callous system. I
recommend it whole-heartedly.
Gurcharan Das, Author and Columnist
There are several superstars in the civil services, each deserving to be
celebrated. But Anil Swarup is among those rare ones who are also powerful
communicators of their ideas to wider audiences. I have, more than once,
heard him speak to groups of younger bureaucrats on topics elucidated in the
book. When he leaves the room, the listeners are left visibly charged with
inspiration to do something out of the ordinary.
Unlike many other autobiographies of my colleagues in the civil service,
Anil’s book reads like a series of journalistic despatches of some of the better
known accomplishments of his career in the IAS. Without unnecessary
embellishment, his language touches you where it is intended to. The most
amazing of the stories is about the conception, formulation and spreading out
of the RSBY scheme. In my view, the book could as well have a subtitle,
‘Serving the poorest of the poor’.
Prabhat Kumar, Former Cabinet Secretary and Former Governor,
Jharkhand
Anil Swarup’s destiny was carefully carved by his father the day he was born
– to be an IAS officer. It is a destiny that took him places – from being a Sub-
Divisional Magistrate in Deoria, UP, overseeing the maximum number of
passengers in vehicles, to being in the thick of a bank robbery shootout,
featuring on the hitlist of Sikh terrorists, working and watching Kalyan Singh
closely when the Babri mosque was demolished and navigating the Gangs of
Wasseypur-style coal ministry. As he says in this book, government teaches
you skills what they don’t at Business School –like how to manage
manufactured crises. The book passionately details his governance tour de
force as he learnt how to douse communal tension, blow the whistle on
‘speed money’ in environment clearances and revived UP’s moribund
investment board. But what ultimately felt like a ‘Bharat Ratna’ moment for
him was when he helped a man get back his job and prevented him from
returning to a life of drugs.
Shekhar Gupta, Founder Editor, The Print and Former Editor-in-Chief,
The Indian Express
This is an amazing true story of a life of incredibly varied experience – a
‘must read’ for all.
Tarun Das, Mentor, CII
Generous in his praise and scathing in his criticism, Swarup gives us
revealing insights into the complex world of Indian administration. Laced
with interesting anecdotes, this book gives an account of the challenges he
faced in his career— the Babri Masjid period, RSBY scheme, coal block
auctions, and the mess that permeates India’s education system. That India
continues to progress against all odds is due to officers like Swarup, who
stick to their principles, withstand enormous pulls and pressures and are able
to deliver while remaining within the system.
Dr Ambrish Mithal, Padma Bhushan, Renowned Endocrinologist
The book authored by Anil Swarup is a must read for the new entrants to the
civil services as he has given a new definition to the ethos and spirit of
bureaucracy.
Anil belongs to that rare breed of civil servants who have the spine and are
willing to take on the powers that be, both in the bureaucracy as well as the
political class, who consider governance, not for promotion of public good,
but for private gain. Anil, in his book, has shown that a civil servant can go
beyond rules and regulations and become a motivator, a leader of men and an
innovator in formulation of policies. He stood for what he thought was right
and earned the reputation of being straightforward, telling his bosses, where,
he thought they were going wrong, and, not worrying about the
consequences. After reading his book, one feels that the governance of the
country is in safe hands, so long as we have civil servants like Anil Swarup.
Yogendra Narain, Former Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh and Former
Secretary General, Lok Sabha
I have known Anil since our days in the Mussoorie Academy. A standout
from the beginning and winner of the Best Officer Trainee award, he has
always been frank and forthright in his views. His book traces the remarkable
career he has had in UP and the Government of India, giving the reader an
intimate view of some absorbing episodes of national importance. A page
turner.
Parmeshwaran Iyer, Secretary, Rural Sanitation (Swachh Bharat),
Government of India

Preface
What a journey it was in the Indian Administrative Service! I do not know
whether it could have been more fulfilling. My life was full of challenges and
that was the beauty of it. There was so much to be done, so much that one
could do and so much of excitement! I spent sleepless nights in the sheer
excitement of the potential. The excitement was there from day one to the last
day of my service. This book is an attempt to share some of my experiences
in serving the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich. I was blessed to
have come across some outstanding officers and individuals who inspired me
to remain committed and on track because they had delivered.
Mr. Yogendra Narain, the unflappable performer was one of the many civil
servants who inspired me not only to perform but also to keep penning down
my experiences. This book is an outcome of what he had instilled in me a
couple of decades ago.
Mr Prabhat Kumar, efficiency and candour incarnate who rose on to become
the Cabinet Secretary, was the one who goaded me to organise my thoughts
and articulate them in the form of a book. I never worked with Mr D K
Mittal, but he was my role model as he epitomised clarity of thought and
decisiveness. Ajay Bhalla who later became Union Power Secretary was
instrumental in laying the foundation for clearing the coal mess that forms
substantial part of this book. Vivek Bhardwaj, the then Joint Secretary in the
Ministry of Coal who was responsible for carrying out the coal block
auctions (though I walked away with most of the credit), helped me construct
the chapters on coal. Anita Karwal and Santosh Mathew were among a
couple of outstanding officers in the Ministry of Human Resource
Development who contributed substantially in structuring and articulating my
thoughts on the chapters related to Education.
Contribution of Vijay Kumar Juneja, my Private Secretary was enormous in
all the back-stage work from typing, re-typing, re-re-typing the manuscript
over and over again, and keeping track of everything.