An Interview with Mr. Alok Ranjan
Former Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh
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Mr. Alok Ranjan is the former Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, with an administrative career spanning 38 years. He has served in senior leadership positions such as Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner, Agriculture Production Commissioner, Principal Secretary in key departments including Urban Development, Technical & Vocational Education and Finance.
At the Union level, Mr. Ranjan has worked as Managing Director of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence. Earlier in his career, he served as District Magistrate in several cities, including Agra, Ghaziabad and Allahabad.
Beyond administration, Mr. Ranjan teaches at institutions like IIM Lucknow and Jaipuria Institute of Management, serves on several advisory boards, and has authored five books, including Excellence in Governance: Implementation is the Key and Ethics for Civil Services.
In this conversation with The Policy Edge, Mr. Alok Ranjan reflects on the motivations that drew him to the civil services, his administrative experiences in districts, state’s models of governance, and the challenges young civil servants and policy stakeholders should prepare for in the decade ahead.
You graduated from IIM Ahmedabad and had a lucrative corporate career ahead. What made you choose the civil services instead? And unlike most officers who serve in one or two districts, you had as many as five postings as District Magistrate. How did the challenges and experiences vary across them?
When I finished my MBA at IIM Ahmedabad, I felt a deeper pull toward the civil services. I wanted my career to mean more than personal advancement. The IAS gave me that chance – to make a real difference in people’s lives. IIM taught me something I used every day later: problem-solving. Administration is about breaking down complex challenges and finding workable solutions.
My district postings became my real classroom. Banda was remote, with an acute water shortage, so the focus was on drinking water and connectivity. And then Agra – that was perhaps the most sensitive time of my career. After the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, many senior leaders were lodged in Agra Jail. It was a communally sensitive district, but with round-the-clock efforts, we ensured peace. Agra also brought frequent protocol duties for visiting heads of state and managing the Taj Mahal. I even conducted elections in Allahabad – proof that a DM’s work is wide and unpredictable.
What stayed constant was my Mulaqati system. Every day, for three hours, anyone could walk in without an appointment. At first, people came hesitantly, almost fearfully. Over time, they grew confident. That shift from hesitation to trust gave me great satisfaction. Later, even as Chief Secretary, I continued the practice because authority flows not from orders, but from accessibility and trust
You placed special emphasis on adult literacy as a tool for community empowerment. Could you share how that initiative unfolded and the impact it had on people’s lives?
Adult literacy has been close to my heart. In Agra, I launched a campaign that made 5.5 lakh adults literate in just one year. We mobilised local teachers, volunteers, and civil society – no big budgets, just community energy. I still remember one woman who, after learning to write, sent me a postcard describing her village’s water problem. I replied to her letter, and a hand pump was installed. That one postcard did more than solve a water problem – it gave the whole community confidence that the system was listening.
This is why I believe literacy is transformative. It gives people a voice, the ability to articulate their problems, and the courage to engage with the administration. Government alone can’t change society – but when communities take ownership, real change happens.
Having personally witnessed the creation of Uttarakhand, how challenging was the division of Uttar Pradesh administratively? And how do you view recurring demands for further division of UP on governance grounds?
The creation of Uttarakhand in 2000 was both emotional and complex. I had served as Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Chamoli, near Kedarnath. I often accompanied visiting Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Chief Ministers to Kedarnath. So when the separation happened, it was bittersweet.
Administratively, assets, liabilities, institutions, and personnel had to be divided carefully, while ensuring both states continued to function smoothly. It required enormous coordination and tested the resilience of the system.
That experience convinced me that further division of UP is not needed. The state suffers more from a perception problem than a governance problem. People often assume UP is backward, but my experience has been the opposite. We executed the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in record time, rolled out the laptop distribution programme smoothly, and launched services like Dial 100 at an unmatched scale. The companies working in the state call the processes “extremely efficient and satisfying.” UP’s size is not a weakness – it is a strength of its institutions
As you pointed out, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as one of the more vibrant states, with large-scale infrastructure and governance reforms. From your experience, what models or practices can other states learn from and replicate?
UP has shown that even a large, complex state can deliver results if governance is mission-driven and people-focused.
Take infrastructure. The Lucknow-Agra Expressway was built in just 23 months and even had Sukhoi fighter jet landings, symbolising both efficiency and pride. The Lucknow Metro was also completed in record time. These were not isolated successes – they were the outcome of a model based on strict timelines, constant monitoring, and accountability.
Look at technology-enabled services. The Dial 100 police helpline – now Dial 1012 – ensures police can reach anywhere in the state within 10–15 minutes. The 108-ambulance service usually arrives within 15–20 minutes. For citizens, these services mean the state is not distant but immediately responsive, often in their most critical moments. Youth empowerment was another priority: distributing nearly 19 lakh laptops was not about freebies. It gave first-time digital access to students, expanding opportunity and confidence.
Underlying all this was a citizen-first approach. I always said: treat the person in front of you as a client, not a subject. If an issue could be solved with a phone call, I made it then and there. If it needed ground support, I ensured officers went immediately – and sometimes I went myself. This kind of responsiveness builds confidence in the system.
So the lesson for other states is clear: combine efficiency with empathy. Deliver at speed and scale but always keep citizens at the heart of governance.
Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest governance challenges for young and aspiring civil servants over the next decade?
The biggest challenge will be technology. Governance will increasingly be digital, with artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and online platforms at the centre of service delivery. Officers who embrace these tools will transform administration. But there’s a caution here: don’t lose the human touch. As I often tell young officers, a chatbot can process data, but only a human officer can build trust.
Urban governance will be another test. Transport, housing, sanitation, waste management – all these issues will dominate the agenda. Unlike rural administration, where authority is clearer, cities demand constant negotiation and innovation, requiring new skills and adaptability.
A third challenge is impartiality. Pressures of caste, community, and politics will remain strong. But the credibility of a civil servant rests on neutrality. Once an officer is seen as partisan, their effectiveness erodes quickly.
And finally, civil servants must remain accessible. Citizens today expect quick responses, whether in person or through social media. Officers who keep their doors open, listen, and act promptly will retain the public trust.
My advice is simple: respect the institution, adapt to change, and never forget the human face of governance. Authority comes not from the chair, but from the trust people place in you
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Views are personal.