District Collector of Kozhikode Prashanth Nair convinced the people of his constituency to clean a large pond by themselves in exchange for a plate of biryani. He announced on his Facebook page that people had coordinated to clear the 14-acre pond filled with water hyacinth and slush. The money used to feed all the volunteers was taken out of the drought prevention fund of the district administration, The Indian Express reported.

Nair is known for pushing such crowdsourced campaigns, which he says will build a compassionate population in Kozhikode. The IAS officer’s social media popularity stems from his belief that now, such platforms are the most effective way to reach people. “People are out there on social media, so we need to be there. Pasting notices on the notice boards of the village office is no longer the way to reach out to the public. Social media as a platform makes administration more transparent, seamless, fast, publicly accountable, and informal,” he said.