Best IAS Officers in India - UPSC PDF Download

If you are interested in pursuing a career in civil services like IAS, IPS, IFS, etc., it is helpful to learn about successful IAS officers who have made a significant impact in India. The Famous IAS Officers List provides you with the Top 10 IAS Officers in India, who have achieved remarkable feats and earned recognition for their work. UPSC is a highly competitive examination that recruits officers for various civil services positions every year. These officers work in administrative roles in districts, state or central secretariats.
In addition to the Top 10 list, we have also shared a state-wise IAS officer list. This information can help you analyse the number of IAS officers produced by each state and inspire you to work hard to achieve your goals. Learning about successful individuals can be a great source of motivation to stay focused and dedicated to your aspirations.

Top IAS Officers in India

It's important for UPSC aspirants to stay motivated and work hard towards their goals. The Top IAS Officers List serves as an inspiration, showcasing individuals who have made significant contributions to society through their work as IAS officers. The Famous IAS Officers List includes individuals who have overcome various challenges to achieve their goals and have brought positive change to people's lives through their work. Whether they came from underprivileged backgrounds or faced obstacles in their journey to join the Indian Administrative Service, these officers have made a difference. Let's take a closer look at the Famous IAS Officers List.

Famous IAS Officers List: Top 10 Best IAS in India

This compilation of the Best IAS Officers in India serves as a source of inspiration for aspiring civil servants who aim to make a difference in the nation. The list showcases the commendable contributions and achievements of these officers in various fields such as education, health, and social welfare. Their dedication to public service and the impact they have made on society is truly inspiring.

1. Armstrong Pame

Best IAS Officers: Armstrong Pame

• The 2010 batch IAS officer is popularly known as the “Miracle Man”. Mr. Pame is the first IAS officer from the Zeme Tribe of the Naga Peoples. 
• Originally from the Tamenglong district of Manipur, Armstrong Pame is known as the ‘Miracle Man’ who build a 100 km long road famously known as the “Peoples’ Road” connecting Manipur to Nagaland and Assam. 
• The toughest part about his achievement is that he built the “Peoples’ Road” without any financial help from the government. The road was built with help of funds offered by the general public and money raised through social media. 
• He also went ahead and contributed his own salary for this cause. In 2015, he was conferred with India's Most Eminent IAS Officer Award.

2. Aruna Sundararajan

• Aruna Sundararajan is the Kerala cadre IAS officer who played a significant role in the development of e-governance in Kerala. 
• She is best described by Forbes magazine as ‘an IAS officer who thinks like a businesswoman’. She is best known for her role during her tenure as IT secretary in the state of Kerala. 
• She also headed the Kudumbashree Project, which is a female-oriented, community-based, poverty reduction project of the Government of Kerala, and now it is a shining example of women’s empowerment for working-class women.

3. Durga Shakti Nagpal

• IAS Durga Shakti Nagpal is widely known for her rampant decision-making and honesty. A 2010 batch IAS officer,  even as a trainee IAS officer, she exposed a land scam in Mohali. She moved to the UP cadre in 2011 as the SDM of Sadar, Noida. 
• Here also, she took on the sand mafia involved in illegal sand mining of the Yamuna and Hindon river banks.

4. Hari Chandana Dasari

Best IAS Officers: Hari Chandana Dasari

• IAS Hari Chandana is a 2010 batch IAS officer of the Telangana cadre. Hari Chandana Dasari is known for her ‘green revolution’ in Hyderabad, where she initiated several plastic recycling initiatives and welfare programs. 
• She is currently posted as the Collector and DM of Telangana’s Narayanpet District. 
• Dasari has implemented numerous schemes during her various stints, such as Pet Parks, She Toilets, She Marts, Feed The Need (where refrigerators are installed across the city so that donors can place food inside from where the needy can pick them up), Give and Share, etc. 
• She has also been selected for the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Innovations (2020).

5. Smita Sabharwal

Best IAS Officers: Smita Sabharwal

• After clearing the UPSC exam by securing 4th position all over the country, IAS Smita Sabharwal was appointed as Municipal Commissioner of Warangal.
• She is also known as a ‘People’s Officer’ and was the first lady IAS to be posted to the Chief Minister‘s Office.
• She is one of the top IAS officers, best known for her “Fund Your City” project during her tenure as Municipal Commissioner in Warangal, where under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP), a large number of public utilities such as bus stops, traffic junctions, foot-over bridges, parks were built.

6. Sagayam

Best IAS Officers: Sagayam

• With his non-tolerant attitude towards corruption, he got transferred 20 times in his 20 years of service.
• He is the first IAS officer to make his assets public.
• He is known to be one of the famous IAS officers in India as, under his command, extensive investigations were held on the illegal mining of granite in Madurai. 
• Additionally, he took hold of around 5000 subsidised cylinders that were illegally used in commercial places. Because of these investigations, he exposed many politicians and businessmen.

7. Ashok Khemka

Best IAS Officers: Ashok Khemka

• Ashok Khemka is another IAS officer well known for his proactive approach against corruption. Originally from Kolkata, Mr. Khemka is an IITian who joined the Haryana cadre as an IAS officer in 1991. 
• He is most popularly known for exposing the irregularities in the land deal worth Rs 57 crore between the real estate giant DLF group. 
• Prior to this, he had also unearthed a scam in Haryana Seed Development Corporation, where the corporation was being sold seeds at inflated prices. As a reward for his good work, Mr. Khemka has faced 45 transfers in his 23 years of service.

8. Vinod Rai

Best IAS Officer: Vinod Rai

• Another IAS officer that has made it to the front pages of newspapers for exposing corruption and taking on the irregularities in government functioning. Vinod Rai is a 1972 Batch IAS officer from Kerala cadre, who started his career as the sub-collector of Thrissur District. 
• He served the Thrissur District for 8 years and was given the nickname of second Sakthan Thampuran for his role in the development of Thrissur City. Mr. Rai played a phenomenal role in exposing major corruption scandals and scams including the Coal-Gate Scam, 2G Spectrum Allocation Scam, Delhi Commonwealth Games scam, and Padmanabhaswamy Temple Audit. 
• Currently, he is appointed as the chairman of the United Nations Panel of External Auditors.

9. Krishna Gopal Tiwari

Best IAS Officer: Krishna Gopal Tiwari

• Krishna Gopal Tiwari is India’s first visually challenged collector and now the District Collector of Umaria in Madhya Pradesh. 
• This IAS officer sets a model and provides motivation to thousands of the country’s differently-abled.

10. O. P. Choudhary

Best IAS Officer: O. P. Choudhary

• Choudhary, an IAS officer of the 2005 batch, is a resident of the Raigarh district in Chhattisgarh. Choudhary hails from the backward Agharia community, which has a sizable population in the Raigarh district. 
• Choudhary came into the limelight when he established an education city for tribals in South Bastar when he was a collector of Dantewada. 
• He was later posted as commissioner of the municipal corporation of Raipur and later became director of public relations, a post that holds immense importance for the government and chief minister.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Famous IAS Officers List

What makes an IAS officer popular?

There are approximately 180 IAS officers selected every year for posting all over the country, but only a few become popular through their actions. An IAS officer becomes famous when she/he works passionately and brings a positive change in the lives of the people and helps in the development of the nation.

Who are the Famous IAS Officers from North east India?

Armstrong Pame, who is also known as a ‘Miracle Man’, belongs to northeast India. With the support of local people, he achieved the goal of building a 100 km road in the Tamenglong district of Manipur which connects the state to Nagaland and Assam.

Who is the Best IAS Officer in India?

The Best IAS Officer in India may vary from person to person and from state to state. The work done by the IAS Officer contributes to the upliftment of society and the area he/she is posted at. For example, Armstrong Pame is the Best IAS Officer in India for the people of the north-east as he has done commendable work there, whereas, for the people of Uttar Pradesh, Awaneesh Awasthi is the Best IAS Officer as he has worked greatly in improving the connectivity of the region and developing employment opportunities.