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Tukaram H. Mundhe is a 2005 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre. He is famous for being one of the most honest and courageous IAS officers.
Wiki/Biography
Tukaram Mundhe was born on Tuesday, 3 June 1975 (age 45 years; as in 2020) in Tadsona, a small village located in Beed district of Maharashtra. His full name is Tukaram Haribhau Munde, while his zodiac sign is Gemini. Tukaram’s childhood days were full of struggle. Born in a farmer family, Mundhe started helping his family in farming activities at the age of 8. He would start his day in the morning by working in the fields, then go to school, then come back. Work in the fields again till evening. From building fences to digging wells, sowing seeds to selling farm produce in the weekly vegetable market, they did everything.
Tukaram Mundhe in childhood
He worked regularly in the fields till he completed his 10th class studies. After completing his 10th class from a local Zilla Parishad primary school in Beed district, he moved out of his village to Aurangabad for his higher education, where his elder brother was also studying. On the advice of his brother, he studied intermediate in science stream. After that, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Sociology and History from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad in 1996. After graduating, he went to the State Institute of Administrative Careers, Mumbai (a government funded coaching institute) and started preparing for the Civil Services Examination. Simultaneously, he joined a college in Mumbai for a postgraduate course in Political Science. After failing thrice, Munde passed the State Civil Services Examination (MPSC) in his fourth attempt in 2001 and was appointed as a Division II officer in the Finance Department. He did not stop here. After eight years of hard work and continuous efforts, he cracked the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2004 in his last attempt and secured 20th rank in all India. Subsequently, he was selected as an IAS officer and was allotted Maharashtra cadre.
Tukaram Mundhe UPSC CSE 2004 Marksheet
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 8″
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
family and caste
Tukaram was born in a progressive farmer family of Vanjari community.
parents and siblings
His parents, Haribhau Munde (father) and Asrabai Munde are farmers.
Tukaram Mundhe’s mother
His elder brother, Ashok Mundhe, was the first graduate and civil servant from his village. It was he from whom Tukaram took inspiration to become an IAS officer.
brother of tukaram mundhe
Relationships and children
Tukaram is married and has two children with his wife Archana Mundhe – Agastya Mundhe (son) and Ashna Mundhe (daughter).
Tukaram Mundhe with his wife and children
livelihood
On 22 August 2005, after completing his training, Tukaram was appointed as the Supernumerary Assistant Collector of Solapur. He started his duty by eliminating illegal activities in Solapur. On the fourth day of his service in Solapur, he raided and sealed a bar owned by a powerful local politician, in which illegal activities were being carried out. Thereafter, as a part of his training, he was posted as Chief Officer of the Municipality of Barshi Block in Solapur. While holding this post, he stopped many illegal activities taking place under his area. He removed more than 15000 unauthorized encroachments in the district which were blocking roads meant for public movement. A variety of incidents occurred while he performed his duty. He remembers,
When demolition of an unauthorized liquor shop was underway, a man threatened to set himself on fire if the demolition continued. Mundhe knew that if he stopped, the demolition campaign would also stop. He asked an officer to record the video and then arrest him for threatening suicide.
Tukaram Mundhe talking to people in Solapur
After completing his training, Tukaram took charge as Assistant Collector of Degalur, Nanded in September 2007. Then, after serving there for about four months, he was transferred to Nagpur as the CEO of the Zilla Parishad. Soon after being posted as CEO of Nagpur Zilla Parishad in 2008, he visited some government schools on the same day. He observed that many teachers were absent from schools without any prior notice, all those teachers were suspended the next day. After noticing irregularities in medical services in the government hospitals of the district, he also suspended some doctors.
Although he fought against corruption, solved a variety of public problems and worked for public welfare wherever he was posted, transfer from one place to another also became a regular part of his career.
There have been many such occasions in his career when politicians have united against Tukaram Mundhe and demanded his transfer. However, citizens affected by his work have often come to his defense. A similar incident took place in June 2020, when Nana Patole, a Congress MLA and Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, demanded the transfer of Nagpur Municipal Corporation Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. In view of the situation, citizens of Orange City launched an online petition – People’s Confidence Motion – was introduced. Their support to the civil chief. More than 5000 people signed the petition. The petition came to no avail and Tukaram was transferred from Nagpur to Mumbai, his 15th transfer in his 15-year career.
walk with the commissioner
In 2016, during his tenure as Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner, the “Walk with Commissioner” program became popular. Under this initiative, Tukaram Mundhe along with senior officials used to interact with the public in different areas every Sunday.
The public will tell about the problems in their area, give feedback about the work in their area and also give appropriate suggestions to make things better. He identified and improved traffic congestion in Navi Mumbai by developing proper parking facilities, focused on ease of doing business and cashless initiatives, worked with the public in the management of solid waste, etc.
Tukaram suspended many officials due to misconduct and irregularities in work. His work on the ground not only made the citizens of Navi Mumbai happy but also angered many.
controversies
IAS Tukaram Mundhe has made significant contribution in bringing transparency and accountability in public administration. However, there have been many occasions in his career on which there has been controversy. Here are a few of them:
- In October 2016, a no-confidence motion was passed against Tukaram Mundhe by the elected representatives of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). The councilors alleged that Tukaram does not respect the elected representatives. He described Tukaram as a person of dictatorial style who believed only in bureaucracy and did not believe in democratic values and that was the reason why the no-confidence motion was passed against him.
- In August 2018, the elected representatives of Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) led by BJP passed a no-confidence motion against Tukaram Mundhe. In the letter, Tukaram has been accused of taking arbitrary decisions without taking the elected representatives into confidence. Speaking on this issue, Tukaram Mundhe said,
I have acted only as per the law. My working method does not threaten anyone, but is based on priority. Moreover, it is time bound and hence result oriented. I believe that this no-confidence motion is not against me but against good governance. For the last six months I have been trying to fix the system. I am working with complete transparency. This work is process-driven and result-oriented.”
- On 8 June 2020, Ganeshpeth police station filed an FIR against then civic chief Tukaram Mundhe for violating lockdown restrictions by attending an event which was attended by 200 people, posing a risk of transmission of COVID-19 .
- On 28 June 2020, a former official of Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) filed a police complaint against Tukaram Mundhe for insult and harassment. She wrote in her complaint that Munde wanted her to reveal some internal information about the NSSCDCL department, with which she did not agree. This enraged Mundhe and he started harassing her by making derogatory comments.
Awards and honors
- He received the “Best Collector” award by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for all-round performance for the year 2015-16.
- Waterman of India by CM in Administrative category by IBN Lokmat in 2016.
- “Indian Express Excellence in Governance Award” which celebrated the excellent work done by DMs across the country.
Facts/General Knowledge
- Mundhe’s batch mates consider him one of the most honest and highly principled officers, but he lacks a realistic approach. One of his batchmates said,
During our conversations with him, we always told him not to over-hype certain issues. He did not pay attention to our advice and now he is paying the price for it. We are in a democratic system, we cannot ignore the elected representatives. Transfers are a part of Indian bureaucracy but 15 transfers in 15 years of service looks bad.
- Mundhe believes that he has an inner drive that encourages him to become a leader. He says,
I ask myself, if I can’t do it, who else can? Being an IAS officer, if I can’t make changes in the system, if I can’t give them (citizens) leadership, if I can’t inspire them, then who else can?”
- Munde considers his commitment as his greatest strength and his fast pace as his weakness as it often embarrasses many people who work with him.
- There were many such occasions in the initial phase of his career when he found himself trapped in a dilemma whether what he was doing was right or wrong. Mundhe then created a three-point checklist to help him overcome his dilemma. He made three points – their action must be legal, it must be morally right, and it must be in the public interest. If his action was validated by any of the two points of the checklist, including the mandatory point of validity of his action, he would proceed with his decision.
- While posted as Assistant Collector of Deglur, Mundhe imposed heavy fines on illegal sand miners in the area. He used to conduct sudden raids in mining areas. The stubborn miners became so alert that they distributed money and mobile phones to small shopkeepers outside Tukaram’s office. The shopkeepers took notice of Tukaram’s whereabouts and provided information to the miners.
- In July 2018, an episode of Tukaram Munde aired on the TEDxTalks YouTube channel, in which he talks about his inspirational and thought-provoking journey. He asked people to bring the change they want to see in the society.
- On 25 August 2020, while working as Nagpur Civil Chief, Tukaram became infected with COVID-19.
Dear all, I have tested positive #COVID-19, I have no symptoms and have isolated myself as per protocols and guidelines. I request all the people who have come in contact with me in the last 14 days to get tested. I’m working from home to control #pandemic Situation in Nagpur. We will win
– Tukaram Mundhe (@Tukaram_IndIAS) 25 August 2020
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn