New Delhi: At an awards ceremony in New Delhi this evening, SpeakIn recognized and honored India’s Most Distinguished IAS Officers for administrative distinction and for excellence in leadership of word and thought. SpeakIn is Asia’s first and largest consortium of thought leaders, industry influencers, speakers and subject matter experts.
In what is described as the first and finest celebration of the public service fraternity’s contribution to governance and public administration in India, IAS officers were honored for raising some of the the biggest and toughest challenges facing the country and for helping to solve them.
Among the ten IAS honorees was Amitabh Kant, an IAS officer from 1980, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Kant is currently the CEO of Niti Aayog. He was one of the main driving forces behind the “Make in India” and “Startup India” initiatives. He also spearheaded the “Ease of Doing Business” initiative. Receiving his prize, Amitabh Kant said, “There is no job content anywhere in the world like the Indian Administrative Service that gives you the opportunity to transform lives. You can be a great disruptor and make sweeping changes that have a real impact on the lives of people in this country. I thank SpeakIn for recognizing this diligence and honoring service leaders.
Others recognized for their outstanding contribution include Anil Srivastava, who was awarded for heavy industries, transport and mobility, and Armstrong Pame, recognized for his contribution to public policy and Governance. The event was attended by high-level thought leaders from public service, business and industry.
The evening was also marked by a round table on The public service profession—a discussion between business leaders and the Indian administrative service. The panel of speakers included Vinayak Chatterjee, Chairman of CII National Council on Infrastructure, Aditya Ghosh, known as the Indigo man and now head of Akasa, Dr. Manish Kumar, MD and CEO of NSDC ( National Skill Development Corporation), Dr NS Kalsi, Chairman of the National Council for Vocational Education and Training, Rahul Srivastav, IPS officer, Dr Kiran Bedi, former IPS officer and former Governor of Pondicherry.
Commenting on the changing face of Indian bureaucracy in step with the changing times, laureate Anil Srivastava noted: “The public service is process-oriented. It cannot be run as a fast-paced business, aiming for immediate results. We are accountable to the public who are our stakeholders. There are no shareholders who need profits. But we create a framework and lay down the processes, so that the public finds an environment conducive to its functioning. Our goal is to be inclusive, to work for the well-being of our country, and to have a forward-looking vision that sets the pace for relevant stakeholders.
Speaking on the rationale for India’s elite top civil servants awards, Deepshikha Kumar, Founder and CEO of SpeakIn, said, “In terms of leadership skills and knowledge of the country’s laws and policies, our officials are exemplary. At SpeakIn, we celebrate top performers and thought leaders who lead by example and set the bar high for performance and delivery. The officers of the IAS implement complex policies and projects and allow the executive to come into contact with the entire population. The job of government is to deal with issues that need to be resolved—and that‘That’s what our administrators do. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
Here is the list of winners:
• Amitabh Kant, batch of 1980 (executive from Kerala): prize for his entire career, for his career strewn with integrity and conviction. Kant was a key driver of the “Make in India” and “Startup India” initiatives. He also spearheaded the “Ease of Doing Business” initiative.
• Anil Srivastava, lot 1985 (MP frame) for“Excellence in heavy industries, transport and mobility »
• Iqbal Singh Chahal, batch of 1989 (Maharashtra frame) for “Excellence in crisis management »
• Sanjeev Kaushik, Batch of 1992 (Kerala Executive) for “Excellence in Business and Finance”
• Santosh Misra, lot 2000 (Tamil Nadu Frame) for “Excellence in innovation and technology »
• Dr. Rakesh Gupta, batch 1997 (Haryana executive) for “Excellence in Public Policy and Governance
• Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, lot 2007 (UP frame) for “Excellence in Public Policy and Governance »
• Armstrong Pame, class of 2009 (Manipur executive) for “Excellence in Public Policy and Governance »
• Bhupesh Chaudhary, class of 2014 (AGMUT executive) for “Excellence in Food, Water, Agriculture and Livelihoods »
• Hari Chandana Dasari (Class of 2010, Telangana Executive) for “Excellence in ESG, SDGs and climate change”.
