Shri Khilli Ram Meena, Chief Secretary; Respected former Chief Secretaries of Mizoram; Secretaries to the Government, senior officers and IAS officers serving in the districts; Members of the civil services; Ladies and gentlemen,

 A very good afternoon to you all.

It gives me immense pleasure and a deep sense of honour to be with you today at this very special gathering. We are here not merely to felicitate former Chief Secretaries. We are here to recognise a legacy of public service built over decades, and to bring together the experience of the past with the responsibilities of the present and the aspirations of the future. That is why this gathering is more than a ceremonial occasion. It is a meeting of experience, memory and responsibility. Many of you served Mizoram at a very different time. Each Chief Secretary served during a different chapter of Mizoram’s journey. The challenges changed, but one responsibility remained constant: To serve Mizoram and its people.

1. Lesson from different chapters:

Our history gives us many examples of this. Pu Lalkhama served during a defining period in our State’s history, including the transition to Statehood and the historic Memorandum of Settlement of 1986.

Pu Haukhuma Hauzel led the administration through the Mautam crisis, when the immediate test of Government was whether food and assistance could reach people in need.

Smt. L. Tochhong made history as Mizoram’s first woman Chief Secretary, reminding us that leadership must always remain open to talent, dedication and merit.

Shri Lalnunmawia Chuaungo led the administration through the extraordinary challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Government had to coordinate across departments and agencies while bringing home thousands of Mizoram residents stranded across the country.

And Dr. Renu Sharma led the administration into an important phase of digital governance.

These are different chapters, but they tell us something important: The form of administration changes. The principles of good administration do not. Technology changes. Procedures change. Circumstances change. But integrity, discipline, accountability, sound judgement and commitment to public service remain essential.

 2. Why Institutional Memory matters: 

This is why institutional memory matters. A Government that forgets its past risks repeating old mistakes. But a Government that only looks backward cannot respond to new challenges. We must therefore ask ourselves: What should we preserve? What should we reform? And where must we have the courage to try something new? Our former Chief Secretaries possess something that cannot be acquired through training alone. To our serving officers, I would therefore say: Use this opportunity fully. Ask not only what was achieved, but how difficult decisions were taken.

3. Government must remain citizen–centric:  Government is not an abstract institution. Behind every file is a person. Behind a delayed decision may be a farmer waiting for a season, a student waiting for an opportunity, a patient waiting for treatment, an entrepreneur waiting to begin a business, or a family waiting for an answer. Rules and procedures matter. Financial discipline matters. But procedure must serve a public purpose; it cannot become a substitute for that purpose. Efficiency without empathy becomes mechanical. Empathy without efficiency produces no result. Good administration requires both.

4. We have unique strength and challenges: This responsibility has a particular character in Mizoram. Our geography is beautiful, but demanding. Roads, pipelines, transmission lines and public facilities are more difficult and often more expensive to build. Our settlements are spread across the hills and our market is relatively small. But we also possess strengths that cannot simply be created through Government expenditure—an educated society, strong community institutions, an active civil society and, above all, the spirit of tlawmngaihna - service before self. Our task is to bring the strength of our society and the capacity of the State together in the same direction.

5. The present Government’s approach: Over the past two and a half years, we have sought to move from a culture that measures Government merely by expenditure to one that measures it by outcomes—by what actually changes in the lives of our people. One important change we have tried to bring is to move away from a mentality of expecting free assistance from the Government. Under our Handholding Scheme, assistance is based on the quality and viability of the project proposals we receive. Our aim is not simply to provide support, but to encourage entrepreneurship, responsibility and sustainable livelihoods. We have also tried to make governance more participatory and accountable. The Project Monitoring Committee brings together representatives of all political parties, major NGOs and the Church, creating a broader platform for monitoring and reviewing the implementation of important projects. We have also constituted a Resource Mobilisation Committee, led by our former Chief Secretary, Pu Haukhuma Hauzel, to explore ways of strengthening the State’s own resource base and improving fiscal sustainability. At the same time, Mizoram has achieved several important milestones. We have become India’s first fully literate State. Aizawl has appeared on the railway map of India, marking a historic transformation in our connectivity. According to the available data from Transparency International and NITI Aayog, Mizoram has emerged as the second least corrupt State in the country, after Lakshadweep. The construction of our first four-lane National Highway is underway, opening new possibilities for connectivity and economic growth. Mizoram has also witnessed record growth in tourist footfall year after year, reflecting the increasing interest in our State as a destination. Alongside these achievements, we have strengthened financial management and administrative capacity. All Centrally Sponsored Schemes have been brought under SNA-SPARSH, an effort recognised by the Government of India with an incentive of ₹ 350 crore. Government services are also becoming more responsive through the expansion of E-Office, grievance redressal and modernisation of land administration, including digital records, e-Ram, online land-tax payment and e-Stamping.

These initiatives represent an important shift in the way we approach governance: from schemes to outcomes, from dependence to enterprise, from isolated decision-making to greater participation, and from traditional processes to more efficient and transparent systems.

But I mention these initiatives not to suggest that our work is complete. Far from it. Connectivity must improve further. Our young people need wider opportunities. Government services must become faster and simpler. Health, education, power, water, waste management and infrastructure in our districts will continue to demand sustained attention. The measure of a Government is not the announcement it makes, but the change that finally reaches an ordinary citizen. That is the standard we must hold ourselves to.

6. Our vision for the future: Our vision for Mizoram is also ambitious, but it must remain practical. We want a Mizoram that is peaceful, inclusive, resilient and increasingly self-reliant; a Mizoram that is well connected to national and regional markets, strong in human capital and confident in its identity. Our economy must grow from the strengths we genuinely possess. We have also set ourselves an ambitious aspiration of contributing 1 per cent of India’s GDP by 2047. This cannot be achieved by one Government or one generation. It requires continuity of purpose across governments, institutions and generations of public servants. Transform Mizoram cannot remain only a vision document. It must become departmental priorities, measurable milestones and action in every district.

7. My message to serving officers: To our serving officers, I would make two appeals. First, give your Ministers frank, professional and fearless advice. That is part of your duty. Once a decision is taken, implement it wholeheartedly. Second, let us not work as separate islands. A farmer’s problem may involve several departments. A landslide may require the district administration, PWD, Police, Health, Power, water-supply agencies and Disaster Management to work together within the hour. Citizens do not experience Government department-wise. They experience one Government of Mizoram.

8. Continuing role of the former CSs: I express my appreciation to our present Chief Secretary, Shri Khilli Ram Meena, for convening this meaningful gathering and for leading the administration with commitment. I would request the Chief Secretary and GAD to ensure that the value of today’s programme does not end with today’s programme. The experiences and recommendations shared here should be properly documented, carefully examined and, wherever feasible, translated into action. We should also explore an appropriate arrangement through which former Chief Secretaries and other distinguished retired officers can continue to share their experience with the Government on selected strategic issues from time to time. We now seek your wisdom as we prepare for ours.

9. My questions for discussion: And I would like to leave three questions for today’s discussion:

1. What makes a good reform survive long after the officer who started it has moved on?

2. Which administrative strengths of Mizoram must we take particular care to preserve while we modernise?

3. If a young officer were posted to Mizoram today, what is the one thing you would want that officer to understand about this State?

I believe your answers to these questions can be of lasting value.

10. Conclusion:

Respected former Chief Secretaries, Mizoram remembers your service. There were decisions you took for which there was perhaps no applause. There were problems you resolved that most citizens never knew existed. There were institutions you strengthened whose benefits became visible only years later. Today, on behalf of the Government and the people of Mizoram, I acknowledge those contributions - the visible ones, and especially the invisible ones. You helped carry Mizoram through the circumstances of your time. We now seek your wisdom as we prepare for ours. Let the experience of the past, the energy of the present and the aspirations of our young people come together to build a stronger Mizoram. And may our contribution be remembered not by the offices we occupied, but by the difference we made.

Thank you.

Jai Hind.

Ka lawm e.