Senior Civil Servant · AI Practitioner · Policy Architect · Philosophy & Neuroscience Writer

Bridging Algorithmic
Intelligence with
Indian Governance

A civil servant’s notebook on AI, philosophy of mind, and the art of governing 1.4 billion people.

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23+
Years in Service
5
Union Ministries Served
10M+
Citizens Served
1
State Being Served
Dr. B.V.R.C. Purushottam
Dr. B.V.R.C. Purushottam
IAS · UC Berkeley · Uttarakhand
What I write about

Four Intellectual Territories

AI, ML & DL for Governance

35 essays

Notes on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and information theory — and how these tools can reimagine governance, decision-making, and the architecture of public institutions.

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The Policy Lab

21 essays

Field dispatches and data-driven policy thinking from the departments I currently lead — Animal Husbandry, Dairy, Fisheries, and Elections — plus earlier work across cooperatives and education.

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Philosophy of Mind

12 essays

Eastern wisdom meets cognitive science — from the Gita and the Yoga Sutras to Friston, Feldman Barrett, and Kahneman. The examined life of a decision-maker, written in essays.

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The Proving Ground

0 essays

Projects and field work that made a difference — and mattered personally. Plus an open accountability tracker for the things I am building, running, and walking in real time.

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Selected Essays

Featured Insights

Live from Ghost
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AI

Why India Needs Its Own Foundational AI Models: A Cost-Benefit Case for Public-Private Investment

India should build its own foundational AI models through public-private investment—keeping money, data, and intelligence at home rather than perpetually renting them abroad.

Jun 2026Read →
upsc

When "Never Give Up" Becomes a Trap

Quitting isn't failure when it's a decision. A clear-eyed framework for knowing when to continue an exam—and when to choose another door.

May 2026Read →
upsc

What Will the UPSC Prelims 2026 Cutoff Be? A Data Enthusiast's Best Guess

Coaching estimates range from 81 to 100. Twenty years of data, seven statistical models, and one defensible answer: 81.

May 2026Read →
Impact in numbers

Two decades of public service, in figures

0+
children admitted under the Right to Education Act
NEP 2020
assisted in finalising the National Education Policy
₹150M+
transferred to farmer accounts via the MoU with ITBP
0+
beneficiary farmers — Goat Valley & Poultry Valley schemes
Kedarnath
Relief Commissioner during the 2013 Himalayan disaster
The arc

A career, briefly

  1. 2001
    Bachelor's in Veterinary Science completed
  2. 2002
    Cleared the Indian Postal Service (IPoS) examination
  3. 2003
    Joined the Indian Police Service (IPS)
  4. 2004
    Joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) — AIR 42
  5. 2007–14
    District Magistrate, Government of Uttarakhand
  6. 2014–21
    Senior roles, Government of India
  7. 2021–24
    Secretary-level roles, Government of Uttarakhand
Beyond the Blog

Other work

Book

Your Brain Is Running Old Software

Thirteen principles. Four parts.

Grounded in Karl Friston's Free Energy Principle, prediction processing, embodied cognition, and attention research. Written as a dialogue rather than a lecture — so the underlying neuroscience stays rigorous, the reading stays plain. Each principle is a small upgrade you can run on your own mind, starting today.

Visit upgradeurbrain.com →
Charitable Foundation

Srilan Foundation

A Legacy of Love, Learning, Health and Dignity

Supports meritorious girls from below-poverty-line families with scholarships, learning materials, and mentoring through Classes 8–12. Organises medical camps for early detection of cancers, diabetes, and other chronic illness. Provides care for elderly persons without adequate family support, complementing existing government schemes.

Visit srilan.org →
In their words

Recommendations from eminent voices

Purushottam Basava is an upright career IAS officer, hardworking, honest, and follows processes with absolute due diligence, while at the same time kind, helpful, and humane in approach. He draws his strength from his deep-rooted spiritual moorings.

Shri Anil Sahasrabudhe
Former Chairman AICTE, Chairman of National Educational Technology Forum
Signal from the Frontier

If this resonated — here's where it continues

Essays on AI, governance, decision-making, neuroscience, and reflective thought — by a serving IAS officer. Unsubscribe anytime.

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Views expressed are personal and do not represent the Government of India or the Government of Uttarakhand.