From ITES to Public Service: Sri’s Dedication to Sustainable Development and Social Change

Concerned about Karnataka's plaguing societal issues, Sri stepped into the development sector where he brought his expertise in operations, solution design and project management to good effect.  

This transition happened in 2021, when Sri switched gears from a successful Corporate career into leading the Plastic Aggregation business at Hasiru Dala Innovations where he pioneered several important projects in Solid Waste Management (SWM) to push for sustainable solutions. Driven by his passion for innovation, he chose to pursue the The/Nudge’s Indian Administrative Fellowship (IAF) and was selected from amongst hundreds of applicants. Since the beginning of the current cohort with Govt of Karnataka, he has collaborated closely with the Women and Child Development Department and also provided valuable support to the Health and Family Welfare Department on various initiatives.

Key lessons from the IAF Journey

The IAF provided him an inside look at how the government functions and the challenges faced by the government officers. Sri strongly believes that enhancing administration requires a strong emphasis on ethical and empathetic leadership, along with continuous efforts to upskill the teams reporting to senior officials. He was impressed by the dedication of government staff, who often go above and beyond, defying the common perception of bureaucratic lethargy. He also realised the need for tech upgrades and big-scale solutions to boost productivity and effective implementation of schemes. 

Innovation, Collaboration and Impact

One of the key challenges Sri began addressing was improving early childhood education and health indices in the state. During his field visits to understand the landscape, he observed that Anganwadi workers play a critical role in combating malnutrition and anemia, thereby improving the state’s health metrics. However, he noticed that these workers often lacked the latest knowledge on methods and techniques that could help children learn effectively and stay nourished. Post his field visits, Sri spearheaded an innovative digital learning project. He supported the signing of an MoU with Infosys Springboard to onboard their Learning Management System (LMS) which was subsequently used to host audio-video content in local language for online training on crucial subjects like early childhood education, proper nutrition, and social issues such as combating child marriage. 

To ensure that the training was truly effective, Sri incorporated knowledge assessment and certification processes into the LMS, empowering Anganwadi staff with the required knowledge to improve their performance. 

A particularly impactful element, in collaboration with NGO Makkla Jagriti, was an 8-video series, designed to be completed in just an hour, which effectively filled critical gaps in the existing system. This content covered aspects like physical development, fine motor skills, sensory development etc., for the children and how an Anganwadi worker should look to identify gaps if any and improve this. Through this initiative, over 300 supervisors and Anganwadi workers were onboarded and supported in furthering their understanding of the topic.

Building on this success, Sri collaborated with the Foundation for Mother and Child Health (FMCH) to create content and knowledge checks in Kannada to highlight the importance of a balanced diet at Anganwadis and homes and the key role of important vitamins, iron and calcium in combating malnutrition and anemia. 

Sri's commitment extended beyond digital learning. He realised that a financially secure Anganwadi worker is highly motivated to put forth her best efforts. To address this, he put in processes to monitor the enrollment of Anganwadi workers in Govt insurance schemes, ensuring they received the coverage they deserved.

Additionally, Sri analysed the entire process flow of child marriage cases and identified multiple issues, including manual handovers of information that can be automated to reduce overlaps, errors and delays among stakeholders, repetitive data entry across multiple platforms, and the resulting loss of time/productivity, data mismatches, and poor follow-up of cases. He then proposed a tech solution to resolve these inefficiencies. Sri is committed to addressing this issue by advocating for enhanced software solutions that improve efficiency and data-driven decision-making within government operations.

Sri remains deeply committed to his mission, continually gathering stakeholder feedback to refine and improve his projects. His work is a testament to his dedication to driving meaningful change in Karnataka, ensuring that those on the front lines, like the Anganwadi workers, are equipped with the knowledge and resources they need to make a lasting impact.

Simultaneously, Sri got an opportunity to be on the panel for government-initiated Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW) at ‘Samarthya’ sub-scheme of ‘Mission Shakti,’ an Umbrella Scheme for the safety, security, and empowerment of women. These Hubs aim to facilitate women’s access to various institutional and schematic setups for information dissemination and availing services related to healthcare, quality education, career and vocational counseling/training, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, backward and forward linkages, health and safety for workers, social security, and digital literacy.

Vision for the Future: Karnataka and Beyond

Looking to the future, Sri envisions Karnataka as a leader in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on improving infrastructure, waste management, and traffic systems to drive global leadership in sustainability. He plans to continue his work in the social sector, leveraging his experience at a senior level to address large-scale public issues. While he sees technology as an essential tool, he also emphasises the importance of building skills within government departments to fully harness these solutions.

Sri's transition from the corporate world to public service underscores his commitment to sustainable development and social change. His work in Karnataka reflects a deep understanding of the state's challenges and opportunities, blending hope, innovation, and progress.