Covid Warriors of Amravati

Capacity building can be defined as the process of equipping public officials, stakeholders, communities to continuously develop and strengthen their attitudes, skills and knowledge for effective and efficient public service delivery.

Over the years, there have been some transformational interventions in the capacity-building ecosystem in India that have improved the state of public service delivery and enhanced the quality of citizen-centric governance. 

This five-part blog series titled ‘Stories of Change’ delves into some of the successful yet seldom celebrated interventions by public officials that were instrumental in improving the execution capacity of our government.

Harssh Poddar was the commanding officer of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) in Amravati, a city in the western state of Maharashtra, India. He was a man of great vision and leadership, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, he had worked tirelessly to build the capacity of officials in his cadre.

As the second wave of the coronavirus swept through the country, Harssh knew that he had to take swift action to keep over 1,000 personnel and their family members safe. Him and his team took a series of measures to ensure that everyone was protected, and several efforts were undertaken to achieve zero fatality among SRPF personnel.

The first step that Harssh took was to create a robust system of screening and testing for all personnel. He made sure that every member of the force was tested regularly and that anyone who tested positive was immediately isolated and given proper medical care. Additionally, he made sure that all personnel were trained in the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and that it was readily available to them.

Another challenge that Harssh faced was managing vaccine hesitancy among the personnel. He knew that getting vaccinated was crucial to keeping everyone safe, but many members of the force were skeptical about the vaccines. To address this issue, he launched a comprehensive awareness campaign, highlighting the benefits of vaccination and addressing common myths and misconceptions. He also set up vaccination camps on the SRPF premises and encouraged all personnel to get vaccinated.

Thanks to Harssh's efforts, during the second wave, only 118 officials tested positive for COVID-19, and there were no fatalities among the SRPF personnel. This was a remarkable achievement, given the high number of cases in the region.

In ensuring the safety and health of his workforce, Harssh was also able to facilitate seamless deployment of his unit personnel across various functions of the SRPF such as enforcement of the national lockdown as well as state election duty.

Throughout the pandemic, Harssh remained committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of his personnel and their families. He continued to provide them with the support and resources they needed to stay healthy and to carry out their duties. His leadership and dedication were an inspiration to all those around him, and he became a role model for other officers in the police force as well.

As the pandemic continued to rage on, Harssh knew that there was still much work to be done. He remained undaunted, and continued to work tirelessly to keep his personnel safe and healthy. His efforts are a testament to the power of leadership and the importance of taking proactive measures in times of crisis.