Hon’ble Chief Minister Mizoram, Pu. Lalduhoma Ji, Respected Pu Lalkhama ji, former Chief Secretary, of Mizoram, Pu Van Hela Pachuau ji, former Chief Secretary, of Mizoram, Pu Lalnunmawia Chuaungo, former Chief Secretary, of Mizoram, Dr. Renu Sharma Ji former Chief Secretary, of Mizoram, My senior Colleague Mr. Sudheer Kumar ji Principal Secretary GoM, Pi Ramdinliani Secretary GoM. Senior officers of Government of Mizoram, Officers of District Administration Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me immense pleasure and, indeed, a sense of privilege to welcome you all to this very special workshop on “Learning from the Past to Build a More Resilient Future. “This is not an ordinary gathering of administrators. It is an opportunity for institutional memory to meet contemporary experience, and experience to meet the aspirations of the future.
We have with us today those who have had the responsibility of steering the State at different points in its journey, and those who are presently carrying that responsibility forward. This combination is both rare and valuable. The wisdom of experience and the energy of the present can, together, help us shape a more capable, responsive and resilient civil service for Mizoram.
1. Learning from the past
Administration is often described in terms of policies, programmes, files, rules and institutions. But ultimately, administration is about people and decisions taken to optimize public good.
Every generation of officer’s encounters challenges that appear new. Yet, when we look carefully at our history, we often discover that the nature of the challenge may have changed, but the underlying questions remain remarkably similar: -
i. How do we respond to uncertainty?
ii. How do we balance immediate pressures with long-term interests?
iii. How do we maintain public trust in difficult circumstances?
iv. How do we make limited resources achieve maximum public value?
v. And, perhaps most importantly, how do we ensure that institutions remain stronger than individuals?
Mizoram's administrative journey offers us many lessons in this regard.
The State has faced periods of profound social and political change, difficult geographical and logistical conditions, natural disasters, economic constraints and the continuing challenge of delivering public services across dispersed and difficult terrain. Yet, through these circumstances, institutions have evolved and society has moved forward. One of the most important lessons is therefore this: resilience is not merely the ability to withstand a crisis; it is the ability to learn from a crisis and emerge institutionally stronger.
Our past should not be treated merely as history. It should be treated as an institutional asset.
The experiences of former Chief Secretaries and senior officers contain valuable knowledge—what worked, what did not work, what could have been done differently, and what lessons should never be forgotten.
We should have the humility to learn from all of these.
2. From individual experience to institutional memory
One challenge confronting modern administration is that institutional memory can sometimes be lost when officers move from one assignment to another.
Files preserve decisions.
Rules preserve procedures.
Reports preserve facts.
But experience preserves judgement.
i. Why was a particular decision taken?
ii. What were the competing considerations?
iii. What were the unintended consequences?
iv. Which informal institutional arrangements helped a programme succeed?
v. Which assumptions proved to be wrong?
These lessons are often not adequately captured in official records.
That is why a dialogue between former and serving officers is so important.
I would hope that today's interaction is not merely a ceremonial exchange. Let it be candid, reflective and even self-critical.
Let us ask not only, “What did we do?” but also, “What could, we have done better?”
And let us ask the serving officers: “What are we doing today that our successors may one day wish we had done differently?”
That kind of conversation can create genuine institutional learning.
3. Building resilience for a changing Mizoram
The future will not resemble the past.
Mizoram today is more connected, more aspirational and more digitally integrated than ever before. Our citizens are better informed and rightly expect greater transparency, faster delivery and higher standards of public service.
At the same time, the State faces emerging vulnerabilities.
i. Climate change is increasing the risks associated with landslides, floods, extreme weather events and other natural hazards.
ii. Our geographical location gives us enormous strategic opportunities, but also brings distinctive challenges in connectivity, logistics and border management.
iii. Urbanization is changing the character of our towns.
iv. Technology is transforming the way government works.
v. Artificial intelligence and digital governance will alter administrative processes in ways we are only beginning to understand.
vi. Our young people have new aspirations, and our economy needs to create opportunities that are both sustainable and inclusive.
All of this means that resilience has to become a core principle of governance.
A resilient government is one that can anticipate risks, prepare before a crisis occurs, respond quickly when it does occur, and learn afterwards.
But resilience is not only about disaster management.
It is also about institutional resilience, fiscal resilience, environmental resilience, technological resilience and, above all, social resilience.
For Mizoram, social cohesion is perhaps one of our greatest strengths. We must ensure that development and modernization strengthen that cohesion.
4. The role of the civil servant
In this changing environment, the role of a civil servant is also changing.
We are no longer simply administrators of Rules. We are increasingly required to be problem-solvers, facilitators, coordinators, innovators and custodians of public trust.
But while methods may change, certain values must remain constant.
-Integrity cannot become outdated.
-Impartiality cannot become inconvenient.
-Empathy cannot become inefficient.
-And accountability cannot become negotiable.
-Technology can make government faster, but it cannot by itself make government wiser.
-Data can inform a decision, but judgement is still required.
-And ultimately, the quality of governance will continue to depend on the quality of people who serve in government.
For younger officers especially, I would emphasize one principle: do not confuse authority with leadership.
Authority comes with office. Leadership has to be earned.
Leadership is built through credibility, competence, fairness, listening and the ability to bring people together around a common purpose.
5. What can the generations learn from each other?
Today's workshop provides us with an opportunity to think of this as a two-way conversation.
The serving officers can learn from the former Chief Secretaries about institutional judgement, crisis management, political-administrative relationships, managing uncertainty and the lessons of experience.
But the learning need not be one-directional.
Our former colleagues can also learn from the younger generation about new technologies, new approaches to public service delivery, changing citizen expectations and new ways of looking at old problems.
This is therefore not about the past teaching the present.
It is about different generations of public servants learning from one another to prepare for the future.
6. Looking ahead
As we look towards the coming decade, we should ask ourselves a fundamental question:
What kind of administrative system do we want to leave behind?
i. Do we want a system that merely manages the present, or one that prepares Mizoram for the future?
ii. Do we want institutions that depend heavily on individual officers, or institutions that retain knowledge and capability even when individuals move on?
iii. Do we want to respond to disasters after they happen, or invest in anticipation and preparedness?
iv. Do we want citizens to approach government as a distant authority, or experience government as a responsive partner?
The answers to these questions will determine the resilience of our State.
I believe our objective should be to build an administration that is professional yet humane, technology-enabled yet people-centred, efficient yet accountable, and confident yet willing to learn.
And perhaps the most important lesson of all is that no generation of civil servants is the final custodian of the State's future.
We are all temporary trustees.
We inherit institutions from those who came before us, we improve them during our tenure, and we have a responsibility to leave them stronger for those who come after us.
That is the essence of public service.
7. Conclusion
Let me conclude by returning to the theme of today's workshop: “Learning from the Past to Build a More Resilient Future.”
The past gives us experience.
The present gives us responsibility.
The future gives us an obligation.
Let us therefore use today's conversation to preserve the wisdom of experience, question our assumptions, share our successes and failures, and identify what we need to do differently.
I hope that when we leave this workshop, we will not merely have exchanged memories and ideas. I hope we will have identified concrete lessons that can strengthen the institutions of Mizoram.
To our former Chief Secretaries, I extend my sincere gratitude for being with us and for being willing to share your experience and wisdom.
To my serving colleagues, I urge you to listen with an open mind, question with respect, and contribute with candour.
The challenges before us may be unprecedented, but Mizoram has never lacked the capacity to adapt, endure and move forward.
Let us learn from where we have come, understand where we are, and work together to build a Mizoram that is more resilient, more capable and better prepared for the generations to come.
Thank you.
Jai Mizoram.
