Restoring faith in bureaucracy

A COMBINATION OF CORRUPTION, AMBITION AND PERSONAL AGENDA HAS ENSURED THAT POLITICIANS HAVE A BAD REP. BUT SOME OF THEM ARE ACTIVELY TRYING TO BREAK FREE FROM THE MOULD BY ENGAGING WITH THE PEOPLE.

They say we rise by lifting others. While many are attracted to life in public service for the power and prestige that come with the job, they fail to remember it is essentially a calling — to serve the people. In a country like India where a majority of the politicians are unreachable once elected, there are still a few who have their fingers on the pulse of the people. Some of these politicians have managed to tap into the potential of social media and have expanded the scope of their ministries. Others find it fulfilling to work at the grassroots level. From Union Ministers like Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Seetharaman to Telangana’s very own KT Rama Rao, there are some politicians across party lines who go above and beyond their call of duty to help those in peril.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s popularity has soared after she vigorously started using Twitter to solve the problems of people. Her brand of ‘ Twitter diplomacy’ has resulted in her being featured across national and international media. “I help people every day. That too on a single tweet ( sic),” she once tweeted. Wondering how she does that? Here’s an example: Recently, a man named Kautilya Bansal wrote to Swaraj on Twitter, requesting help for a group of 20 Indians, including an infant. “@ EOIBeijing : Please expedite this. There is an infant in the group ( sic),” Swaraj tweeted in response. And with that single tweet, she took care of the situation.

Swaraj isn’t the only one doing noteworthy work through social media. K. T. Rama Rao, who holds IT, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, Mines & Geology, Public Enterprises and NRI Affairs portfolios, is of the same mould. The Minister, who manages his Twitter account on his own, makes a note of every single request he receives on social media. His followers usually ask him to look into road repairs and financial assistance for poor children with serious ailments. The Minister promptly takes notice and demands action from concerned authorities through tweets. page 36

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER SUSHMA SWARAJ’S POPULARITY HAS SOARED AFTER SHE VIGOROUSLY STARTED USING TWITTER TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF PEOPLE. HER BRAND OF ‘ TWITTER DIPLOMACY’ HAS RESULTED IN HER BEING FEATURED ACROSS NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA