An administrator with a difference, Pradeep Kumar Biswal is a distinguished poet, a scholar and a visionary. He has five poetry collections in Odia and one in Hindi translation to his credit. An anthology of poetry in English is on the anvil. As a precursor of modern Odia poetry interspersed with vibes, he has carved a niche for himself among the contemporary galaxy of prominent modern Odia poets. He is also an essayist, a translator and an editor of repute.
A senior member of the elite IAS cadre, Biswal is presently working as Additional Secretary in the State General Administration and Public Grievance Department. Previously, he had held many important positions in the State Government in the Departments of Finance and Planning & Convergence and School & Mass Education. He has three decades of repository wisdom garnered out of his rich administrative experience in the administration and has a fairly good reputation as a conscientious, honest, efficient and knowledgeable administrator. In an interview to The Pioneer, Biswal spoke to Sugyan Choudhury from his Bhubaneswar residence on many and varied aspects of society and administration.
How do you visualise a corruption-free society in the countryIJ
Corruption is a manifestation of human greed. The political system in our country breeds corruption. The elections have become very expensive these days. Political parties have to face it. Business houses come to serve it and a quid pro quo is established. The bureaucracy unfortunately plays a conduit role in it. This is the malady of our system. In the process, everyone wants a pound of flesh. Still, I am hopeful that with more reforms in the system we can achieve a corruption-free and egalitarian society in future; the sooner, the better.
What are your suggestions as an administrator for better delivery of services to the common manIJ
Unless the attitude of our public servants changes, it cannot happen. Many in the Government still suffer from a colonial hangover. They do not think that they are the servants of the people. With the Public Service Delivery Act and the Right to Information Act in force, things have started changing for the better. There should be public awareness and people should know their rights so that public servants should not be casual or lackadaisical in their approach. Violators should be penalised.
How do you balance your creative life with your administrative responsibilitiesIJ
I am a poet first and an administrator next. But I have never neglected my official responsibilities for my creative work or taken advantage of my position for furtherance of my writing career. I use to write in my leisure and always strike a balance between the passion and the profession.
What is the most memorable experience in your chequered administrative careerIJ
Once, I was handing over charges to my successor on being transferred in a station only after a brief stint of three months. I heard that an old lady was loudly crying outside; and when I inquired, it was revealed that she was crying on hearing about my transfer. I went to console her, and she expressed her anguish but blessed me with a warm hug. I think that was the best CCR in my life, and her blessings are still with me in my journey.
With abolition of the Planning Commission, how do you perceive planning process in the country nowIJ
The NITI Aayog has now come to replace the Planning Commission. But it is not directly involved in the planning process. States have now got liberty to prepare their plans. The NITI Aayos is now engaged in preparing long-term visions and strategies for the country, and every State should have its own long-term vision and strategy to achieve this. The UN has prepared the SDG Roadmap and global targets up to 2030. Our long-term planning should be aligned with these global goals. But we have to shun the top-down approach in planning and encourage a top-up approach with more focus on the grassroots level. Besides, in the Central plans and schemes the States should be given more flexibility for effective implementation.
With rapid growth of social media, do you feel that it would be a threat for literatureIJ
I don’t think so. This should be effectively used for spread of literature, particularly among the youngsters. It is also happening. I have posted my poems in the Facebook and got very good response. It is also a very good tool for the administration to disseminate positive information and to gather public response on Government initiatives. Sometimes, it is being mutualised, bur aberrations in any system cannot be ruled out.
How SDG is going to impact the development agenda of the worldIJ
It is an aspirational document with 17 goals and 169 targets endorsed by all the countries of the world. Earlier, we had MDG, which was operational between 2000 and 2015. But it was very limited and could not be so successful. The SDG is a larger agenda with more futuristic view and includes goals like climate resilience, life below water, etc. For the first time, all countries are mandated to implement it and the role of civil society and private sector is recognised to achieve this.
Some feel literature and poetry will be irrelevant in future, considering the changing lifestyle and emerging trends of socio-cultural ethos. Do you agreeIJ
I don’t agree. Poetry is an intimate companion of man. It will survive till the day man survives on this planet. literature will continue to reflect life in its many splendours and man will enjoy seeing the colours.
GST has been implemented in the country as a land mark reform in our taxation system. How is it going to impact the economy and the common manIJ
The GST will boost production by reducing the cost, make the products cheaper and competitive, promote export, invite FDI into the country, create more jobs and accelerate economic growth contributing to the GDP. Most of the goods and services will be cheaper and common man will be benefitted. Already, essential food items have been exempted to the advantage of the common people.
Odisha is going to attain 100 years of its formation in 2036. As a conscious citizen of the State, how do you want to see it thenIJ
In the recent years, the State has made many strides. Poverty reduction has been rapid and significant improvement has been achieved in the health and education sectors. Economic development has been accelerated through growth in industrial and agriculture and allied sectors. Significant improvement is there in the infrastructure sector too.
However, Nagada and Dana Majhi still stare at us. We have to ensure an inclusive growth covering all sections and all parts of the State. Hunger and malnutrition should go. We should have a just and equitable society with health, education and employment for all. The vulnerable sections, including women should come to the social mainstream at par with others.