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Success Story of IAS Armstrong Pame

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Syskool
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Armstrong Pame IAS

Armstrong Pame is the first from the Zeme tribe of Nagaland to become an IAS officer and has earned the sobriquet ‘Miracle Man’ for building a 100 km long road famously known as the “Peoples’ Road” connecting Manipur to Nagaland and Assam in a remote part of the hilly state of Manipur without any government help.

Armstrong Pame is a harbinger of change and has brought joy to the people f Tousem, a Manipur subdivision considered one of India’s most backward reigons, by giving them what they needed most — a motorable road that connects them to the outside world.

Family Background

Armstrong Pame comes from Impa village of Tousem Sub-division, Tamenglong district of Manipur where there is no road communication except the British bridle path that links with his village from Tamenglong. He belongs to Zeme speaking group of Zeliangrong community. He is the second son of Shri Haitung Pame and Ningwangle. His elder brother Jeremiah Pame is a  Lecturer in the department of English at  Delhi University. His two elder sisters Pourei and Ramning, as well as his nephew Simon, gave all that they could to see him what he is today.

Read Also: Meet V.P. Jayaseelan IAS – Topper from Tamil Nadu

Educational Background

Armstrong Pame studied from United Builders School at a town school in Tamenglong, Manipur till class 10 and moved to St Edmund’s College, Shillong, and completed his class 12 studies there. By 2005, he completed his graduation degree in Physics from the prestigious St Stephen’s College in Delhi. He always dreamed of studying here; and he started to realize another childhood dream – to be an IAS officer.

Attempts

Armstrong Pame appeared for the Civil Services Examination in 2007 and got Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in Custom and Central Excise department. Any by giving his second attempt he got Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 2008 when he has attained the age of 24 years.

Difficulties that moved Armstrong Pame

The 2009 batch IAS officer was moved by the plight of people when he saw how they had to trudge for five hours by first crossing a river and then a stretch that can by no stretch of imagination be called a road to reach Tamenglong just 50 km away.

Armstrong Pame said that after writing his IAS exam, he came to Tamenglong in 2007.He further said that since he had seen hardship in his childhood, he decided to visit 31 villages of Manipur on foot to see how the people lived and he recounted the incident that led him to launch the 100-km road.

Armstrong Pame said that in 2012, he became SDM of Tousem. He travelled to many villages and saw how people were carrying sacks of rice on their backs, walking for hours, and patients being taken on makeshift bamboo stretchers due to the non-availability of motorable roads. When he asked villagers what they wanted me to do for them, their only wish was for a road.

Must Read: UPSC Board Interview of IAS Topper Chanchal Rana, Rank 7

Armstrong Pame said that he asked the government for funds to build the road but his proposal was turned down due to paucity of resources. But he was really moved by the plight of people; so he decided to raise the funds on his own in August 2012 through Facebook. Armstrong Pame with the help of his brother Jeremiah Pame created a group on Facebook and reached donors who contributed Rs. 50 lakh for this project.

In August 2012, he raised 40 Lakh for this purpose through Facebook page. For his efforts in building road with donation and volunteers he was invited to Facebook headquarters in California. In 2012, he was nominated for CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Public service category.

Armstrong Pame added, “charity must begin from home; so I put in Rs. 5 lakh and my brother donated Rs.1 lakh. Even  mother paid my dad’s one month’s pension of Rs. 5,000”.

One night Armstrong Pame got a call from a person in the U.S. who wanted to donate $2,500 for the road. The next day a Sikh gentleman living in New York said he would give $3,000. And after the media reported about this effort, they never looked back.

Since Rs. 40 lakh was not a huge amount for building a road, Armstrong Pame convinced local contractors to give them earth movers and road-rollers for free.

Enthused by the way Armstrong Pame was able to put together the resources, the residents of Tousem volunteered to build the road, thus saving labour costs.

Sometimes he still cannot believe that they have done it. It’s a miracle. Armstrong Pame doesn’t know whether he can do it again.

Asked whether he faced opposition from the government, he said: “I was called crazy, but I was determined.”

“There is so much to do for the people of Tousem, which lies in sheer neglect. I want to improve their lives in some way because I belong here”.

“But my mother says stop building roads and build your house first,” Armstrong Pame said with a smile.

When he was asked, during the UPSC interview, how he’d serve the nation, as he claimed, if he didn’t get posted to his state and was instead posted somewhere in Tamil Nadu. To this he replied: “Poverty, hunger and thirst know no boundary; they are the same. So I  am willing to work in any part of the country.”

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28 COMMENTS

  1. One thing i heard him say sometime after his success as an IAS officer was that he is a calculative person n that he’s blessed with an enthusiasm to do hardwork. He quite impressed n touched me. Great person!

  2. Sky has no limit and if any one wish to do work for people he is blessed with determination and courage to do the work.we have got a collector at our district subaranapur odisha who is working 24×7 for development of the district.He is a IAS officer but his doors are opened for all..he is no king royal or bureaucrat but a serviceman.wish him many laurels in life .Mr.Dasharathi Satapathy,IAS is a phenomena in the district after he joined in July 2015 as DM and Collector,sonepur. Hope all DM follow his ideals of serving the poor first.

  4. it’s a great for any one and u want do some more for some one that is a huge inspiration to u:)

  11. It is indeed an inspiration to many young Indians. Young Pame is an inspiration and made all indians proud of his honesty and his dream to serve the people has materialize. May God bless him to continue with his great works.

  14. god bless u sir…u r d precious than gold n do ur duty confidently n honestly…I also want to be like u…sir

  15. May Lord Jesus blessing shower upon Armstrong and also bless all enthusiast for their achievements

  18. Heartest congratulations. …God bless you

    I am Arshad Ahmed Daing from j and k is there someone who can reply my question. …last year 2015 i applied fr Civil Services prelims exam but due to some problem i can’t able to sit in prelims examination…and for General categories there are only 6 Limited chances for appearing in CSE now i would like to know that the chance which i have filled last year will be included in my 6 chances or i have remaining 6 chances left in my hand.. …..

    Thankyou

    Reply me at. arshad.daing@gmail.com

  20. A grand salute to u sir !!!!
    Actually you are the ideal for others.. God bless you.
    I also want to be like u sir.

  21. Apart from the success story let’s get our facts straightened. He is from Tamei sub-division of Tamenglong district. The introductory lines says Nagaland. Of course he belongs to Zeme tribe not from Nagaland but from Manipur.

  23. Now the govt. of Manipur is playing with him around by transfering here and there to different departments and districts.

    Reason
    He is an honest IAS officer.

    Since he is all in all oppose to curruption, govt. is finding bard to work with him. So they are transfering him to different departments.

    Sad but true

  24. Your story will be a living inspiration for many… Especially me. God blessed you more to achieve more.

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