Stepping beyond administrative offices into villages. IAS K. B. Thakkar a 2014 Batch officer currently posted as Collector of Jamnagar-a prominent district of Gujarat, has been directly engaging with villagers to understand their issues and review them first-hand.Over the past year,Thakkar has visited more than 100 villages across the district focusing on extensive village outreach.

“I believe governance has to be visible at the grassroots level,” Thakkar says.“Unless we physically visit villages, we cannot understand the real problems people are facing.”

Believing that administration must reach the last mile,Thakkar has prioritized direct engagement with rural communities.His visits are multidimensional from identifying and addressing pressing concerns on sanitation gaps, land maintenance disputes, road connectivity, healthcare access and drinking water shortages.By being physically present in villages,he aims to ensure quicker grievance redressal and improved coordination among departments.

School inspections form another important part of these tours by reviewing the quality of education,facilities and the standard of mid-day meals being served.“Children’s education and nutrition cannot be compromised. Field inspection gives a clearer picture than reports alone”he notes. 

Apart from that , recognizing that many eligible beneficiaries remain excluded due to lack of awareness,he is focused on saturation of welfare schemes.“While flagship initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana are available,some eligible families remain uncovered simply because they are unaware of the process.”He shared 

To address this,the district machinery has been directed to identify such cases assist with documentation and ensure wider coverage.“Our job is to identify them, help with documentation and ensure saturation of schemes”He quoted 

Through regular village outreach, IAS K. B. Thakkar is bridging the gap between policy and delivery at the rural and grassroots level.