The district of Tinsukia in Assam has been selected for the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2024 in the “Holistic Development of Districts” category, recognising its comprehensive progress under the leadership of Mr. Swapneel Paul, a 2018-batch Assam cadre IAS officer and current District Commissioner of Tinsukia.
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The award, which will be presented by the Prime Minister of India on April 21, 2025, during the Civil Services Day celebrations at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, is given to only five districts across the country. It honours outstanding performance in the implementation of 11 flagship schemes of the Government of India over the past two years. These include Har Ghar Jal Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin and Urban), Mission Indradhanush, Ayushman Bharat – PM Jan Arogya Yojana, PM SVANidhi, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Kisan Credit Card Scheme, PM Vishwakarma, Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, and the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
At the core of Tinsukia’s remarkable development is Mr. Paul’s forward-thinking vision of sustainable and inclusive growth. Among his most notable achievements is making Tinsukia the first district in Northeast India to become legacy waste-free. Through biomining and bioremediation, the district cleared 1.53 lakh metric tons of legacy waste, reclaiming 50 acres of land. This initiative also earned him The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Award in the Swachhata category last month.
Mr. Paul also addressed a long-standing law and order challenge by relocating 163 families displaced from Laika inside Dibru-Saikhowa National Park to safer areas in Namphai Reserve Forest. This compassionate resettlement initiative won him the Assam Karmashree Award in 2024.
His conservation work has drawn national attention, especially his successful effort to protect the endangered Hoolock Gibbons of Barekuri by replacing hazardous overhead power lines with 20 km of insulated electric wiring—a move acknowledged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ‘Mann Ki Baat’ episode.
In addition, Mr. Paul is spearheading the “Weed to Wealth” initiative, which transforms invasive water hyacinths into eco-friendly, marketable products—blending environmental preservation with rural livelihood promotion.
Hailing from Lakhipur in Cachar district and later settling in Dimapur, Mr. Paul belongs to the Sylheti community. He studied at Holy Cross School in Dimapur and Army School, Narangi, ranking sixth in Assam in his Class 10 board exams. An Electrical Engineering graduate from the 2012 batch of NIT Silchar, he moved to Delhi to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
With deep roots in the Barak Valley and a vision grounded in equity and sustainability, Mr. Swapneel Paul continues to exemplify how committed leadership can bring transformative change at the grassroots level.
