The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times: A Civil Servant's Voyage Of Discovery

Book Code: 1111024769767

Gyanendra Srivastava

ABOUT THE BOOK

This book is a collection of seventeen selected Public Administration Case
Studies written by Shri Gyanendra Srivastava IAS (Retd.).
The case studies have lucidity, substance and depth. The narratives are
strikingly earnest. These provide fascinating insight into contemporary
public administration environment.
The case studies are of immense value to those who are in public service, to
those who are teaching and learning public administration as a subject and
also to the public at large.
These studies are basically human stories and make engrossing reading.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gyanendra Srivastava served as a Civil Servant for 36
years in Delhi, Lakshadweep, Daman, Diu and UN Missions
in Namibia and Cambodia.
The positions he held include Sub-Divisional Magistrate,
District Magistrate, Director, Commissioner and Secretary
to the Government.
Based on his experiences, he has written this collection of wide ranging and
exclusive public administration case studies.
Case studies written by him have been earlier published by Hindustan
Times and Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi.

CONTENTS

Foreword ................................................................................................ 9
Writer’s Note ........................................................................................ 11
Writer’s Note – Revised Edition ............................................................ 13
Acknowledgements ............................................................................... 15
1. Quite a Few Surprises ...................................................................... 17
2. A Himalayan Odyssey.......................................................................23
3. Witness To the Birth of a Nation ..................................................... 31
4. The Killing Fields and The Smiling Land ......................................... 45
6. Across the Seven Seas ................................................................. .61
7. लाड़ली (The adored girl child ) .................................................... 75
7. Sewer Widows ..............................................................................87
8. The Best of Times, The Worst of Times ......................................... 93
9. Delegation of Power ................................................................... 103
10. Abuse of Power .................................................................... ...107
11. Poor Judgment ................................................................... ......111
12. The Death Sentence ..................................................................115
13. One Time Road Tax – Paying Tax with a Smile ......................... 121
14. Innovating Democracy – Electronic Voting Machine .................. 127
15. Anganwari Workers – The Classic Volunteers...........................137
16. The Squandered Inheritance ................................................... 147
17. A New Inning ......................................................................... 151
Index ............................................................................................161