Harsh Goenka calls Tukaram Mundhe 'hero of the evening'; Mundhe credits the whole team

IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe has responded to praise from industrialist Harsh Goenka. Mundhe said public service is everyone's shared responsibility, and that honesty and accountability should be the rule, not the exception. Goenka had praised Mundhe's work against food adulteration and unsafe kitchens.

Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises, posted on X after meeting Mundhe for the first time. He called Mundhe the "hero of the evening" and praised efforts to act against adulteration, unsafe kitchens and influential establishments. He wrote, "I met Tukaram Mundhe for the first time and without doubt, Mundhe was the hero of the evening. Everyone wanted to meet Mundhe."

Explaining Mundhe's popularity, Goenka said, "Because they are doing exactly what citizens expect from their civil servants. Taking on food adulteration, unsafe kitchens and powerful establishments."

Goenka also asked why an officer who does their job honestly and firmly has become special in the civil service. He said, "It is remarkable that an officer who does the job with nothing but honesty and firm resolve becomes the people's hero. But how badly does this affect the rest of the civil service, where such examples are so few?"

In reply, Mundhe moved the focus from themselves to the civil service as a whole, saying public service is not the achievement of any one person. Mundhe wrote, "Public service is never about one individual. It is a collective commitment to serve citizens with honesty, courage and firm resolve."

Mundhe did not appear to agree that officers dedicated to their duty are few. Mundhe said many civil servants across the country are doing excellent work but rarely get the recognition they deserve. Mundhe wrote, "Countless civil servants across the country are doing outstanding work, perhaps even better than me, but their efforts rarely get the recognition they deserve."

Mundhe gave the credit for the work to their team, stressing that whatever has been achieved in public administration is the result of everyone's combined effort. Mundhe said, "I am a small part of a very large team working for this shared purpose. Whatever we achieve is always a collective effort."

Ending the reply, Mundhe stressed civil servants' responsibility towards citizens and the need to make honesty and accountability the norm. Mundhe wrote, "The trust and expectations of citizens are our biggest responsibility. Honest, accountable and citizen-centric public service should never be an exception. It should be the rule."

The exchange between Goenka and Mundhe has drawn attention to what people expect of government officers. Goenka held up the IAS officer's work as an example of honest administration, while Mundhe used the occasion to remember civil servants who keep working without recognition. Goenka's post also asked whether the recognition an officer receives for simply doing their duty points to a larger concern in the civil service.