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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


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