E. Z. KHOBRAGADE’S BOOK ‘PRASHASANAT AMBEDKARWAD’-
EYE OPENER FOR BEAUREAUCRATS.
‘Prashasanat Ambedkarwad’ (Ambedkarism in Administration), a book written by retired IAS officer and founder of ‘Sanvidhan Foundation’ is presently being widely discussed in the administrative circles and Ambedkarite activists because of its eye opening and factual contents.
The 164-page book published by ‘Swayandeep Prakashan’, a well-known publishing house from Pune consists as many as 29 articles penned by Mr. Khobragade himself. In that sense, it is a collection of articles, written by the author time to time between January 2019 and November 2023.
The book starts with an article ‘My Role Model-My Father’ and concludes with the article ‘Social justice-Ambedkarism’ which is truly worth not only reading and thinking but acting upon the mantras mentioned in it for the good governance as well as welfare and progress of the society.
Mr. E. Z. Khobragade has a wide range of experience in the administration as he started his job as Sub divisional Officer in a very remote area of Aheri in one of the country’s most backward Gadchiroli district and then worked in different important posts including the District Collector of Wardha and the CEO of Gadchiroli and Nagpur Zilla Parishads and also the director of Social Welfare department, besides many other posts.
There are very rare government officers who engage themselves in the social or public field after their retirement, but Mr. Khobragade is an exception to that. Even during his job and after the retirement also Mr. Khobragade has constantly been doing the social and public work. The task of propagating the constitution of India among the citizens and the administration done by him is historic and highly commendable. It is only because of his concerted efforts and persistent follow up that today the ‘Sanvidhan Din’ is being observed by the government. The ‘Har Ghar Sanvidhan’ programme also is being implemented because of his concept; it should be mentioned here.
Through this book, Mr. Khobragade has given many important messages and advice to those working in the system of administration. Stating that a person acting as per constitutional values is the real patriot and those ignoring it are the real enemies of democracy, he has asked the bureaucrats to follow the spirit of constitution in their daily work to reach the benefit of the welfare programmes to the needy and the poor. He has also asked the officials to connect to the grassroots by visiting them frequently.
Mr. Khobragade, who had made a power point presentation about the welfare schemes before the Chief Minister Uddhao Thakre in presence of senior leader Sharad Pawar, which was a unique initiative, has also advocated for the separate commission for the scheduled tribe people to deal with their grievances properly. He has also pinched the rulers by saying that they have forgotten the dignity of the people and values of the constitution.
Most importantly, the former bureaucrat has appealed the government to launch a nationwide campaign for making the country free of corruption, exploitation, atrocities, partiality and take this campaign to all the states and even the villages. Not only this Mr. Khobragade has not forgotten to tell that bureaucracy has been politicised as the politics has been criminalised. In today’s world such officers will rarely be found who dare to show the mirror to the rulers.
In an article ‘Why the government officers have detached from the society, Mr. Khobragade who had always remained connected with the people has said that they don’t understand the seriousness of the people. The officers should feel the problems of the society, he has opined. He has underlined the need that both the government and administration should work on the lines of Shivaji Maharaj and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s thoughts.
Mr. Khobragade has shared his personal experiences while working as an officer and has advised the officers to work honestly, judiciously and sensitively in the interest of the comman people so that justice is done to them. Stating that Mantralaya is the power place of the equality and social justice, he has asked the officials to remain loyal to the oath of the constitution and discharge their duties accordingly.
Mr. Khobragade has written three books earlier. This is his fourth book. He has also written many letters and submitted several proposals to the government-both the state and the central, making various suggestions for the betterment of the people. This book is definitely useful for the good governance and eye opener for the bureaucrats.
Through Sanvidhan Foundation, he has been rendering remarkable services to propagate the constitution and its values among the people. He was the first officer to introduce the mass reading of the Preamble of the Constitution and to hold the Sahitya Sammelanas on the Constitution.
This book is an endeavour of pinpointing the wrong things in the administration and suggesting good measures for its improvement. It will certainly be beneficial for the readers, especially those in the administration. Group discussions, debates on the content of the book will be more useful for everybody.
Rohidas Raut, Gadchiroli.
