Often accompanied by his wife and kids, the officer walks for 10km to buy vegetables and fruits from local framers at a market.(Source: Ram Singh/ Facebook) Often accompanied by his wife and kids, the officer walks for 10km to buy vegetables and fruits from local framers at a market.(Source: Ram Singh/ Facebook)

An IAS officer from Meghalaya is being praised on social media after revealing that he walks for 10 km every week to buy vegetables and other produce that are locally grown.

Ram Singh, the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills, walks the distance on the state’s hilly roads in order to support the local farmer community.

Singh has also ditched plastic packaging and uses the locally-made bamboo basket to carry his shopping. The basker is primarily used by tribals to carry firewood.

“21kg of organic vegetables shopping, No plastic, No vehicle pollution, No Traffic jam, Jikse Jikse Morning walk.. #fitindia #fitmeghalaya #saynotoplastic,” he wrote in posts while sharing photos of his weekly ritual on Instagram and Facebook.

And he doesn’t make the long walk alone. His wife also accompanies him, often carrying their child.

“Many complained that it was difficult to walk carrying loads of vegetables. I had suggested them to carry ‘Kokcheng’ (a local bamboo basket) which would even help fight plastic menace. But they just laughed it off. So my wife and I headed to the market carrying the bamboo basket which I found to be very helpful in many ways,” Singh told a local website.

Singh’s social media pages are full of pictures of him travelling to remotest parts of the district, with the trips often made by sharing vehicles or walking. The IAS official, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, has been serving as the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills from December 1, 2017.

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