Rumana Jafri: The Young OAS Officer Who Changed Madanpur Rampur in Just One Month

In the backward Kalahandi district of Odisha, Madanpur Rampur block had seen many officers come and go. But in 2025, history was made when Rumana Jafri became the first female and the 46th Block Development Officer (BDO) of the block.

From the very beginning, she made it clear that she had not come just to hold a post — she had come to change how administration works for the poorest people.

Fixing the System in the First Week Itself

Within just one week of joining, Rumana Jafri took a bold and practical step — she completely remodeled the grievance redressal system of the block.

She appointed a Grievance Redressal Coordinator whose job was simple but powerful:

• Register every complaint properly

• Track each application

• Inform the complainant about the status within eight days

This single reform saved:

• Time of poor villagers

• Money spent on repeated trips

• Energy wasted in running behind middlemen and clerks

For the first time, people did not have to visit the block office again and again only to be harassed or ignored.

The Night That Showed What Kind of Officer She Is

Her true test came when an elderly woman from a remote village came to her in distress. The woman’s land had been encroached and she was in a helpless condition.

Instead of postponing the matter or passing orders from her office chair, Rumana Jafri personally attended to the case — at midnight.

She did not stop there.

Seeing the woman’s condition, she immediately arranged an ambulance and ensured that the elderly lady was shifted to the district hospital nearly 60 km away.

For that woman, administration was no longer a cold system. It had become a human support.

“There Is No Holiday in Public Service”

Rumana Jafri works with a simple belief:

“There is no working day or non-working day in public service. Every day is a day of duty.”

She works 24×7, without excuses, without hesitation.

Problems do not wait for office hours — and neither does she.