Jain bags Civil Services Award

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, August 13

The Director of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Institutes, Lalit Jain, has bagged the prestigious Civil Services Award for empowering self-help groups (SHGs) in various districts through various livelihood ventures. The award would be conferred upon him at the state-level Independence Day function to held in Kullu on August 15.

Jain, a 2011-batch IAS officer, started his career in Himachal Pradesh as the Block Development Officer at Paragpur in Kangra district. It is here that the SHGs caught his attention and he organised rural women into a number of groups to initiate pickle-making ventures.

Later, he served in various positions, including the SDM of Nalagarh, Commissioner of the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation and Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner. “It was in Sirmaur as Deputy Commissioner that I got ample opportunities to work and improve the lives of rural women. I also initiated a project for ‘pattal’ making for livelihood promotion amongst women and it won several accolades. ‘Pattals’ were also put to use during the janmanch programmes. The women were also organised to make sanitary napkins,” said Jain.

As the Director Rural Development, Jain once again roped in rural women through the state Rural Livelihood Mission to empower them financially. “With the lockdown having restricted other livelihood activities, women members of the SHGs in various districts were trained to make masks, personal protection equipment, rakhis and sanitisers,” he said.