“NipunVinayak’s first-person narrative of a historic land acquisition process six years ago in Raigad district of Maharashtra is very timely and significant. Land needs to be acquired for industrialisation and urbanisation but in a humane, democratic, participativeand equitable manner. The landmark land acquisition legislation passed by Parliament in 2013 to replace the draconian, colonial era 1894 law is anchored in these principles. But even before the new law that ensures fair compensation and transparency in land acquisition and rehabilitation and resettlement, Nipun Vinayak had shown the way and demonstrated how land acquisition should actually take place. His account is gripping and authoritative. It will be of much interest and value not just to administrators, activists and scholars but also to the general public since land acquisition has emerged as a hugely contentious issue across the country.”

Jairam Ramesh, Hon’ble Member of Parliament

“The remarkable stories in this important, readable book show the power of commitment, courage, passion and attention to detail.They illustrate and affirm the synergies of dedicated leadership, participative governance,citizen’s rights and streamlined administration.Let us hope they will inspire bold transformative action by many, many government officers.For all of them it is a ‘must read’.”

 Prof. Robert Chambers, Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, U.K. 

This book is a thoughtful endorsement of participatory democracy, borne out of experience of a government officer, where the potential and challenges have to be worked out with attention to minute detail. At the level of implementation, there is a great need to match the rhetoric on transparency, accountability, and participation with action and institutionalization. This administrator’s account of efforts at grassroot application of these principles will be of great value.

At a time when many civil servants are turning cynical, Nipun’s chronicle is a refreshing sign of faith and determination in process and effort—with inevitably encouraging results. Eventually, one theme that runs through the book is faith in a process of public participation.

Many young IAS officers ask us what they can do in an atmosphere that is hostile to ethical conduct. They should study accounts such as these, where justice and fairness, creative thought, faith in the wisdom of ordinary people, and a commitment to democratic processes can overcome all constraints, including those of a political system, and the undue influence of capital on policy and planning for “development”.

The detailing of a single, but extremely significant account of land acquisition gives this book immense topicality and relevance at this point in time in India’s development history.

This book is a chronicling of hope; the commodity the Indian people set great store by. But unlike the many that are marketed as instant solutions, Nipun Vinayak, offers a coming together of democratic processes at their best: Principled, reasoned and reasonable, delivering services to the people with justice. In a country where power is skewed, answers lie in this combination of common sense and principled action.

–Aruna Roy, Nikhil De

Dr. Nipun Vinayak, born and educated in Chandigarh, joined the IAS in 2001 after an MBBS with gold medals from Government Medical College. During his training at the LalBahadurShastri National Academy of Administration, he got many awards including the ‘Director’s Best All Round Trainee Award’. His professional achievements include recommendation of his work as CEO Zilla Parishad, Jalna for ‘Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration’ by Government of Maharashtra and first prize in the State in ‘Rajiv Gandhi Abhiyaan for administrative reforms’.

He believes that good governance is about the 3Ps – Passion, Participation and Partnership. Calling himself a ‘participative and facilitative development learner’, he cherishes engagement of people in various development projects.

He has authored books on sanitation (‘Beyond Sanitation’ published by YASHADA, Pune) and on innovations in education and health (Gramodaya, published by UNICEF, India). During his tenure as CEO, Zilla Parishad, Jalna, he converted sanitation programme into a social movement involving not only the government officials, but also elected people, women, media, religious leaders etc. He is recognized as a sanitation champion, both nationally and internationally and has promoted community approaches in sanitation in his various roles in the rural areas (as CEO, Zilla Parishad, Jalna) and in urban areas (as Municipal Commissioner, Nanded).

During his tenure as CEO Zilla Parishad, Jalna, the district moved up in education status from amongst the lowest in the State to the top. Many of his innovations were replicated at the State level. He would sit with all the 5000 teachers in his district in groups, holding day long discussions and motivating them and facilitating cross learning - in effect installing pride in their hearts of being teachers and unleashing their potential. Many innovations were carried out in the public health sector as well, which reduced the infant mortality by close to 50 per cent in two years.

He travelled extensively in most of the thousand-odd villages in his district, spending nights there. Villages became his second home and villagers his family. He considers love of people as the invaluable treasure.

As Collector, Raigad, experiences of which tenure are documented in this book, he found himself embroiled in what media termed as the ‘first referendum of India’. In these battles which were fought in courts, government and streets, people emerged victorious against one of the biggest Corporates of India.

As Municipal Commissioner, Nanded, he prioritised working with, and for, the slum dwellers envisioning and effecting, to a great extent, a clean city.

As Director of the national programme, Swachh Bharat (rural), he is working incessantly towards reorienting the programme from a supply-driven latrine construction programme to a community led and community driven collective behaviour change programme. He has travelled extensively across the country to more than 20 States.

He currently stays in New Delhi and likes to draw portraits in his free time. He can be contacted on vinayaknipun@gmail.com.