What Being A Civil Servant Really Means: Dev Prakash Meena

The high paying jobs in civil services with amazing additional facilities may lure anyone into grabbing the opportunity. But civil service is not about enjoying the facilities provided by the government. Instead, it seeks dedication from an individual towards his country which in turn is rewarded with a high-grade salary and other facilities. This is why the process of selection of civil servants has been designed in a careful manner that filters out the non-serious candidates. Yet this can not support the fact that there are no scenes of moral corruption in the system even after the entire process of selection. The glazing light of power that comes with the title of civil servant makes several people fall into the traps of corruption. Unlike these, there are people like Shri Dev Prakash Meena who firmly stay grounded in their principles and work ethics.

Currently posted as Additional Commissioner in the Customs Department of Kutch Commissionerate in Gujarat, officer Shri Dev Prakash Meena comes from the 2008 batch of IRS. Coming from a simple family of rural background, Shri Dev Prakash Meena is followed by more than one lakh of people on Facebook, while his Twitter handle has more than 2 lakh of followers. Born on 1st July 1978 in Rachna village in Dausa district of Rajasthan, his name echoes in his area with respect and love from people. The inspiration behind his journey in civil services lies back in his childhood days. It was the books brought by his fathers that lit a spark of motivation in him which turned into a passion in his later days of youth. His father used to bring him books on children's literature. His father used to tell him about moral stories and literature which multiplied his general knowledge. This, he says, has shaped both his profession and personality from the roots.
 
The difficulties in gaining education in the rural areas are dedicated to the passion of students for achieving it. As we know that the thing which is achieved through difficulties holds a greater place in our lives.

Walking miles on foot to attend his classes, Shri Dev Prakash Meena completed his secondary education in his village. Civil servants must be responsible people and this sense of responsibility could be seen in Shri Dev Prakash Meena's early days of life. Along with his studies, he used to take responsibility for the household chores too. He completed his BA in History Honors and Bachelor of English Literature from Rajasthan College, Rajasthan University. It was during his stay there that he came to know about UPSC Civil Services. It was only while studying general studies that he came to know that all these things are related to the books brought by his father in childhood. 

The daily struggles he faced while living in his village became the targets of the future officer Shri Dev Prakash Meena. As he himself had been through all the difficulties that rural people have to face to meet the basic necessities, Shri Dev Prakash Meena got more firm in his determination to improve the living conditions of villages like his. The negativities of his early days set a goal for the officer- to bring about positive changes within the least time possible. His special attention focused on Dalit-Adivasi class and women were on the top of the list of priorities. Going deep into the social issues that he studied in UPSC syllabus ripened his understanding of people's problems with deeper insights.

Shri Dev Prakash Meena had successfully cracked State P.SC but his eyes were still fixed on cracking UPSC. This determination led him to have serious preparations among other students in Delhi. After a lot of research and queries, he decided to take admission in 'Drishti - The Vision' institute. During his preparations in Drishti-a teacher of the institute, Shri Vikas Divyakirti got really impressed by seeing the efforts of Shri Dev Prakash Meena. His mindset was clearly visible in his actions. He followed his words - "Whatever post I hold after joining the civil service,I will make sure to follow the Constitution and work for the poor, downtrodden class within the constitutional scope". Even after years of taking this oath he has yet never forgotten his principles and the promises that he had made to himself.

His efforts and determination drive many many public welfare works today. This involves the renovation of a primary school in Gudamalani assembly constituency of Barmer. The picture of this achievement can be found on his social media handle. On one hand, where people use social media for their own marketing and publicity, Shri Dev Prakash Meena uses social media for crowdfunding and bringing positivity among people, making himself the bridge of cooperation between the public and the government.

Shri Dev Prakash Meena makes no delay in helping the needy. As soon as he came upon the news of the laborers who had to walk miles during the Corona pandemic, he made the best use of the internet by bringing them help through online support. Apart from this, he also has a private group on Facebook named 'Ram Meena Samaj TMS' in which his colleagues keep posting for social awareness, and for the children who go out to sit in the exams. This group advances towards making the best arrangements for such students by providing them with food and shelter. In addition to this Shri Dev Prakash Meena is seen inspiring the youth by sharing his experience and advice. His words of wisdom become the footprints for the youth to walk on. His repetitive attempts to eradicate corruption and other evil activites from the society are highly appreciated by people. This is what makes him stand aloof in the crowd of a mass of other civil servants.

Our country needs more officers like Shri Dev Prakash Meena who are constantly striving to make our nation morally sound not only at the national but also at the international boundaries.