Best of 2025: 10 IAS & IFS Officers Who Took on India’s Toughest Problems & Fixed Them |
As 2025 draws to a close, some of the year’s most meaningful changes unfolded far from podiums and press conferences. They took shape in classrooms struggling with learning gaps, villages facing floods, forests at the edge of conflict, and cities buried under waste. Across India, governance found its footing where empathy met action.
In this spirit, we bring you 10 IAS and IFS officers who translated policy into lived impact. From AI-powered education and wildlife protection to flood rescue and waste reform, their work touched lives across districts and states. Together, their stories show how public service can remain deeply human while solving complex challenges.
As District Magistrate of Tonk in Rajasthan, IAS Saumya Jha noticed a troubling contradiction. While over 90 percent of Class 10 students aspired to science-based careers, fewer than 12 percent could actually pursue the science stream. Weak foundational maths skills stood in the way.
To bridge this gap, she launched ‘PadhaiWithAI.in’, an AI-powered personalised learning platform designed for government schools. The tool solved textbook problems in Hindi and English, generated unlimited practice questions, and adapted to each student’s pace. Teachers could focus on mentoring instead of repetitive worksheets.
After a six-week intervention, Tonk’s Class 10 maths pass percentage rose to 96.4 percent in 2025, a three-point increase over the previous year. The model now offers a scalable approach for districts facing similar learning challenges.
Read the full story here.
As district magistrate and collector of Sepahijala in Tripura, Siddharth Shiv Jaiswal encountered a crisis that demanded urgent attention. Field assessments revealed that girls as young as 13 were being pushed into marriage and early motherhood.
Drawing on his medical background, Jaiswal launched ‘Mission Sankalp’, a district-wide effort involving health officials, police, child protection units, and NGOs. The focus was prevention, rescue, and long-term monitoring.
The impact was tangible. Over 100 children were rescued from early marriage, and 10 villages were declared child-marriage-free. Health facilities reporting zero deliveries among girls under 18 rose from four in December 2024 to 11 by March 2025. Jaiswal now aims to eliminate child marriage........