Tina Dabi, Collector & District Magistrate, Barmer (Rajasthan), in conversation with ETGovernment’s Yagrica Repswal, shares her transformative initiatives aimed at empowering women, improving sanitation, supporting individuals with disabilities, and driving sustainable growth.
She highlights the success of Maru Udaan, which focuses on women’s health, financial independence, and skill development, along with the Navvo Barmer campaigns that tackle cleanliness and accessibility. She also discusses Barmer’s rising potential as a solar energy hub, emphasizing investment, employment generation, and long-term development.
Edited excerpts:
What are the essential steps to empower women and create greater opportunities for their growth and leadership in society?
In Western Rajasthan, especially Barmer, women still face many restrictions due to old traditions. As a District Collector and a woman, I wanted to bring change. So we launched Maru Udaan, which focuses on three areas: health, finance, and skills. We worked on fighting anemia and calcium deficiency, held breast and cervical cancer screenings, and taught rural women about savings and investments.
A special step was giving free driving lessons to help women become independent. We ensured hands-on training across all 12 blocks. Maru Udaan was so successful that it was adopted across Rajasthan in 2025. The central government also recognized it as a Best Practice, and I presented it in New Delhi during the 10th anniversary of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao. This program shows that small steps can make a big difference in empowering women.
Can you elaborate on the key objectives of the ‘Navvo Barmer Swachhta Abhiyan’ and your vision for its long-term impact on Barmer?
“Navo Barmer – Shehri Swachhtha” is a district-specific cleanliness campaign under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, launched to address the persistent sanitation issues in Barmer City. Despite ongoing efforts, cleanliness remained a challenge, so we took a mission-mode approach to drive change. We deployed 21 officers from various departments—beyond the Nagar Parishad—to monitor door-to-door garbage collection, ensuring timely and effective cleaning.
To reinforce this, we implemented a challan system for littering while also conducting awareness drives and special cleaning initiatives twice a week. Encroachment removal, construction waste management, and community-driven beautification projects were also prioritized. Our goal is to instill cleanliness as a habit, making it a shared responsibility among citizens. Our efforts focus on effective execution to bring the Prime Minister’s vision to reality and create a cleaner, greener city for all.
What are the key initiatives under the ‘Navvo Barmer Coordinated Effort – Empowered Society Campaign,’ and how will it impact the community?
Our campaign, Navo Barmer – Shashakt Samaj, is dedicated to empowering disabled individuals by making government services more accessible. One of our key initiatives was simplifying the UDID card issuance process. Instead of requiring individuals to travel to district headquarters, we organized medical camps at the block level, bringing the medical board to them. This benefited around 4,000 individuals, with 2,000 UDID cards successfully issued.
We also conducted accessibility audits across government offices, ensuring ramps, wheelchairs, and lifts were available, making public spaces truly disabled-friendly. Additionally, we launched AccessibleBarmer.com, a district-specific website that provides geo-tagged locations of accessible government offices, public toilets, and medical facilities. The platform also allows users to check their UDID card status and access information on government schemes.
What is your long-term vision for Barmer, and which key areas need the most attention to drive sustainable growth and improve residents’ quality of life?
Currently, the Government of Rajasthan is actively working to attract investment, particularly in the solar energy sector. As part of the Rising Rajasthan initiative, a significant portion of investments has been directed towards Barmer, making it a growing hub for solar energy.
The district administration’s vision is to facilitate and expedite these investments, ensuring their effective implementation. Similar to how the oil and gas sector transformed Barmer over a decade ago—bringing employment opportunities and driving economic growth—the solar energy sector is poised to have a similar impact. Given Barmer’s vast desert landscape, it offers an ideal environment for large-scale solar projects.
Our primary focus is to establish Barmer as a major solar energy hub, fast-tracking investment processes to generate employment, boost infrastructure, and drive overall district development. This initiative aims to position Barmer as a key player in India’s renewable energy landscape over the next decade.
