Serchhip DC Paul L Khuma among first NAMASTE Awards winners from Northeast

Serchhip Deputy Commissioner Paul L Khuma has been selected for the first NAMASTE Awards in the Public Service and Governance category, making him the first recipient from Mizoram of the new regional honour, EastMojo reported on Wednesday, November 11.

The awards have been instituted this year by the Amazing Namaste Foundation to recognise people and organisations contributing to the development of North East India. The foundation says it wants to highlight unconventional work in governance, entrepreneurship, environmental conservation and culture, and bring successful models from the region to national attention.

Five winners from five states

The first edition will honour five winners from across the North East, one in each category:

• Lifetime Achievement: Dr Jogesh Deuri, Assam
• Public Service and Governance: Paul L Khuma, MCS, Mizoram
• Start-up and Entrepreneurship: Dimum Pertin, Arunachal Pradesh
• Sustainability and Environment Management: Kikruma Village Council, Nagaland
• Preservation of Culture: Yumnam Bhumeshwor Singh, Manipur

How the winners were picked

Nominations were invited from all eight North Eastern states and placed before an independent panel. From the many nominations received, six candidates were shortlisted for detailed evaluation, after which Khuma was chosen, according to the report.

The panel was chaired by Sujoy Lal Thaosen, a retired IPS officer and former Director General of the Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police Force. Its other members were former National Commission for Women member Delina Khongdup Raimaw, Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission member Rosy Taba Gongo, marketing consultant Tara Doddihal and former NSS North East regional coordinator Sunil Kumar Basumatary.

Ceremony in Mumbai

The award ceremony is scheduled for November 14, 2026, at the National Stock Exchange atrium in the Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, a former Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura, is expected to attend as chief guest.

The foundation has described the NAMASTE Awards as an annual event. Besides honouring the winners, it says it plans to document their approaches and encourage other parts of the region to learn from and copy development models that work.

Serchhip, in central Mizoram, is one of the state's smaller districts and is known for its high literacy rate. Kikruma in Phek district has long been cited in Nagaland for community-led conservation and farming practices.