Ms. Neha Meena, a 2014-batch IAS officer and the current Collector of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh, has been selected for the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award-2024 for her exceptional administrative work under the Aspirational Block Programme. Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi will present the award during the Civil Services Day function on April 21 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
A two-member team from the former NITI Aayog had visited Jhabua to evaluate Ms. Meena’s performance. The team was highly impressed by her innovative community-based malnutrition eradication model, “Moti Ai,” which led to significant improvement in reducing cases of severe malnutrition—a model hailed as a transformative example.
Following the visit, Ms. Meena appeared before an Expert Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary on April 4, where her efforts were formally evaluated, leading to her selection for the award.
The Prime Minister’s Awards are given in three categories—Holistic Development of Districts, Aspirational Block Programme, and Innovation. Out of over 1,500 nominations from 710 districts, only 16 officers were selected for this honour, with Ms. Meena ranked among the top five nationwide.
Under her leadership, Jhabua district has witnessed notable improvements in socio-economic development, health, education, and infrastructure, especially in the identified Aspirational Blocks.
Ms. Meena has been previously recognised for her administrative excellence. She received the Best Electoral Practice Award from President Ms. Droupadi Murmu on January 25 during the 15th National Voters’ Day for her innovative campaign featuring mascots Elector Kaka-Kaki. She was also honoured with the Waste Management Award 2020 by the Union Jal Shakti Ministry for river conservation initiatives, and the National Water Award for the rejuvenation of the Choral River.
Additionally, as the former Additional Collector of Neemuch, she received the “Land Equal Platinum Award” from President Ms. Murmu on July 18, 2023, for her significant work in modernizing land records and digitizing village maps and archives.
