He used his own money to make sure school-going children in a Rajasthan village had shoes. Jumped into dirty water to save lives during a flood in the state. Started a blood bank for rare blood groups. Made government buildings, wherever he worked, accessible to differently abled – he is Jitendra Soni, Jaipur’s top district official.
Mr Soni, a 2010 batch officer, brings to his job an extraordinary work ethic, say his peers.
“I work with passion and compassion,” Mr Soni told NDTV.
The young officer first came into notice when he made sure children in schools had shoes.
Inspecting schools in Jalore in December 2016, he found children barefoot and shivering in the cold. Deeply moved, when told that children couldn’t afford shoes, he made shoes available to them through his own money. What began as an act of kindness is today a movement called the ‘Charan Paduka Abhiyan’.
Donors came forward and gave money for children to be able to wear shoes to school. This movement has now touched the lives of more than 1.5 lakh children in rural districts of Rajasthan.
“I wish to thank all the people who came forward to help in the ‘Charan Paduka Abhiyan’,” said the humble officer, who shies away from limelight.
“When people come to us, they come with some hope, and if we listen to them and help them it strengthens their confidence in the system. It also brings a smile to the faces. It makes lives better for the families and also improves their financial state as well. It’s not just as an IAS officer, everyone must do something for society and for others if they can, ” he said.
Born in a farmers’ family in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh, Jitendra Soni cleared the prestigious Civil Services Exam in his first attempt.
He has been awarded by the Abdul Kalam Centre for his innovation and by the President for saving lives during a flood in Jalore in 2016. The officer jumped into the water to rescue people who were stuck. When pressed to answer about it, the officer downplayed it.
“If you work with passion and compassion, results will always be good. I was the District Collector at that time and also the head of the Disaster Management force. I did what was my duty,” he said.
As a trainee officer, a probationer, in Pali district, he started a school on wheels for children. As Collector Jhalawar, he worked on creating a blood bank for rare blood groups and making government buildings accessible to the differently abled.
The officer won a Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puruskar in 2016 from the Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi.
Also, Rajasthani film Bharkhama is a cinematic adaptation of the Sahitya Akademi awarded book of the same name by the seasoned officer.
