An aficionado of art and administration

Even amid the hectic schedules of a district administrator, Wayanad Collector A. Geetha finds time to practise Kathakali online every night after office hours

Why did you choose the profession of a district administrator instead of a professional Kathakali dancer? The question was raised by a group of students from a school at Sulthan Bathery to Wayanad District Collector A. Geetha recently during their visit to the collectorate here after she was selected as the Best District Collector in the State.

“I told them that Kathakali was my passion, not a profession. Practising Kathakali is a leisure time activity, and I am able to continue it for the past many months without mixing it with my profession as a district administrator,” says Ms. Geetha.

She was selected for the meritorious award considering her calibre in successfully implementing several projects including the Akshaya Big Campaign for Document Digitisation (ABCD) for tribespeople.

Wayanad is the first district in the country to provide basic documents and facilities such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, birth/death certificates, election ID cards, bank accounts, and health insurance to all tribespeople. The documents are digitised and saved in DigiLocker accounts opened for them, said Ms. Geetha.

The district administration had provided 1,42,563 services to 64,670 tribal beneficiaries as part of the campaign. They include ration cards for 15,796 families, Aadhaar cards for 31,252 persons, birth certificates for 11,300, voters’ identity cards for 22,488, and digital locker facilities for 22,888 persons.

Most tribespeople could open bank accounts under ABCD, and it helped the district win the first rank first in the country in the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) of the NITI Aayog a few months ago.

The district was awarded ₹10 crore for the achievement, of which ₹5 crore is being utilised for setting up a research centre at the Dr. Ambedkar Memorial District Cancer Centre at Nallurnadu in the district, Ms. Geetha said. The remaining amount is being utilised for various developmental activities including construction of lift irrigation projects, she said.