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A WoMAn in
chArge
overcoming misogyny and a
conservative mindset, Aalia
Ali resuscitated a moribund
government machinery to
transform Kanpur Dehat district of
uttar Pradesh
her a media job. When she came to know
about the Zila Swachh Bharat Prerak (ZSBP)
fellowship from a professor at her college,
Aalia’s inclination for the development sector
encouraged her to apply.
from organising street
plays, puppetry shows, LAyIng tHE gRounDwoRK
Hailing from Kanpur, it was logical for the
workshops to teach proper SBM team to post her to the adjoining district
hand washing techniques to of Kanpur Dehat. However, nothing could
letter writing competitions, we insulate her from the harsh realities that she
had to face in the largely rural district.
used all avenues to increase Illiteracy was rampant. Conservative
awareness and trigger change.” outlook and patriarchy established over
generations had resulted in the district
Aalia Ali, prerak
Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh performing poorly in development metrics.
When she took charge on June 15,
2017, Kanpur Dehat had 20% coverage and
i f you empower women, you can Swacchagrahis numbered around 90, way
too short of the numbers required to drive
change the world and Aalia Ali (24),
a prerak with the Swachh Bharat change in the district. Of the total 640 gram
Mission (SBM) best exemplifies the maxim. panchayats (GPs) spread across 10 blocks,
Surmounting the challenges posed by 39 had declared themselves ODF and their
misogyny, sexism, red tape and official apathy, claims had been duly rejected for want of
Aalia’s efforts to trigger transformation has evidentiary support.
provided the critical propulsion for Kanpur The SBM office was a quintessential
Dehat to become open defecation free (ODF). government office populated by individuals
The 24-year-old could have had an easy who were averse to change and reluctant to
life like others her age. A post graduate in work. The war room, the command centre
development communication (2017), poise and which monitors all the SBM initiatives across
intellectual maturity could have easily landed the district, was non-existent. The office
4 TATA WATER MISSION - A Tata Trusts Initiative