Kozhikode collector N Prasanth has attained the reputation of being the most accessible bureaucrat ever since he took office in 2015. He has managed to keep his reputation intact despite his public spat with Kozhikode MP MK Raghavan.
With Prasanth actively using Facebook as a medium to interact with the common man in Kozhikode, the social media giant has now decided to honour his initiatives.
On Monday, as part of ‘Your Story’, Facebook published a three-minute video about the collector’s activities over the past year, most of them that materialized over his Facebook page that has over two lakh likes.
The video focuses on the collector’s initiative ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’. Stemming from the belief that people are basically compassionate and capable of expressing it when opportunities arise, a number of initiatives were launched subsequently under the project.
The project was spearheaded by the district administration after the collector made a visit to a mental health centre that was in dire need of essentials. When he posted the requirements on his Facebook page, many volunteered to be part of the project. The initiative has gone on to win the Social Media for Empowerment (SM4E) Award in March this year.
In the video, the collector narrates how the project began and goes on to elaborate on the immense support he received through social media. Noting how social media can be a tool for community mobilization, he says, “It is a medium to reach out to public beyond doubt. People are there out on social media, and if they are there, we should reach out to them.”
Posting the video on the collector’s official page, he thanked the volunteers who have been associated with the project.