People First: How Odisha's Drink from Tap Mission Quenched Every Thirst (by G. Mathi Vathanan)

The Inspiring Blueprint of a Groundbreaking, Public-Led Initiative That Made the Impossible Reality.

Every year, millions of people worldwide suffer from devastating waterborne diseases due to a lack of clean utility services. In a country as massive and densely populated as India, the idea of drinking water safely and directly from a household tap has long felt like an unattainable dream. For decades, the standard response from citizens and experts alike was a resounding "No." Yet, one state decisively broke the mold and shattered this long-standing assumption: Odisha.

In People First, veteran IAS officer and career bureaucrat G. Mathi Vathanan delivers a compelling, firsthand narrative of Odisha’s revolutionary "Drink from Tap" mission. As the principal architect behind this internationally acclaimed public initiative, Vathanan pulls back the curtain on the immense administrative commitment, ground-level engineering feats, and strict political willpower required to execute a round-the-clock water supply system. Rejecting the notion that vital utilities must be privatized to be efficient, this book demonstrates how an unwavering, people-centric public management model can successfully deliver clean, international-standard water to lakhs of urban homes and marginalized communities. It is a vital, hopeful roadmap for urban planners, public policymakers, and anyone who believes in infrastructure rooted in human dignity and social justice