Shortly after 1857, he set about in a range of reforms. As a District Officer in the Indian Civil Service, he began introducing free primary education and held public meetings for their support. He made changes in the functioning of the police department and the separation of the judicial role. Noting that there was very little reading material with educational content, he started, along with Koour Lutchman Singh, a Hindi language periodical, "Lokmitra" ("The People's Friend") in 1859. Originally meant only for Etawah, its fame spread. Hume also organized and managed an Urdu journal "Muhib-i-riaya".