KOTTAYAM: The general perception of government officials is that they are arrogant, belligerent and rude. Dealing with them has, more often than not, proved difficult for the public. However, an officer, here, is proving otherwise: winning hearts with his dedication to work and willingness to help others.
Now, taluk industries officer Lorance Mathew finds himself catapulted to stardom on social media for his reply to a query on entrepreneurship on a Facebook group. In four days since his intervention, Lorance’s mobile phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Among those who called included Industries Minister P Rajeeve.
It was last Friday that Lorance noticed a query on Samrambhakan (entrepreneur), a Facebook group, on norms for opening a tea stall along the NH between Angamaly and Aluva, in Ernakulam district. Lorance replied: “call me, (I) will tell you, Lorance 9446367985, taluk industries officer.” Within hours, the reply went viral as several people came out with posts praising him, along with screenshots of his reply.
Even as his reply has gone viral, Lorance remains unassuming. “I have been receiving calls and messages since I shared my number on FB. I don’t know how it went viral as it is my duty to provide advice to those who wish to start new ventures,” he said. “I am not at all flustered by the constant phone calls as I love helping people and supporting their needs,” he added.
“Surprisingly, I received a call from the industries minister. After congratulating me, he also sought the progress of the government’s initiative to set up one lakh MSMEs in the current financial year,” Lorance said. Sharing the screenshot on his FB page, Noushad Thayyil Mangalad commented that Lorance is different from officers who look to drive away aspiring entrepreneurs who approach them with applications. “If officers like Lorance sir, who replied to a question that came outside the district, are here, it will be a great relief for entrepreneurs,” he wrote.
An MTech graduate, Lorance joined government service in 2004 and has been with the industries department since 2014. He also leads the entrepreneurship training programme and has made short films on the subject. He is also active on social media and uses the platform to spread information on new schemes pertaining to the industries department.
After hearing Lorance’s advice on the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) on YouTube, a non-resident Keralite called to thank him for the video that helped him start a new business. “I felt happy when the man said he returned from the Gulf and was earning nearly `85,000 a month from the new business he started in Kerala under the PMEGP scheme,” he said.