India’s environmental governance received a major boost with the graduation of 109 Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers from the 2023–2025 batch, trained at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) in Dehradun. The convocation ceremony, held at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) auditorium, marked the passing out of the largest IFS batch of the 21st century.
In addition, two IFS probationers from Bhutan were part of the training, taking the total number of officers graduating to 111.
Justice V Ramasubramanian Stresses Ethical Leadership
Delivering the keynote address, Justice V Ramasubramanian, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, called on the officers to uphold the rule of law, discipline, and integrity in public service.
“Breaking rules may offer short-term gains, but long-term peace and respect come only through adherence,” he stated, urging officers to act as stewards of both law and environment.
Top Honours for Kerala’s Midhun Mohan SB
Midhun Mohan SB from the Kerala cadre emerged as the standout performer, bagging:
- All-Round Outstanding Performance Award
- BN Gaguli Academic Excellence Award
- KM Tiwari Memorial Award
His performance exemplified leadership, academic excellence, and commitment to the service.
Notable Award Winners from the Batch
- Best Forestry Award: Prithviraj KSB (Uttar Pradesh)
- Forestry Subjects Topper: Shobhit Joshi (Madhya Pradesh)
- Wildlife Management & Nilgiri Club Awards: Ajay Gupta (MP), Shubham Singh (Karnataka)
- Senior Forester & DH Kulkarni Awards: Neelam M (Uttar Pradesh)
- Spirit of 1982 Award: Prithviraj KSB (UP), Shubham Singh (Karnataka)
Rising Gender Diversity: 22 Women Officers Join IFS
The batch included 22 women officers among the 109 Indian trainees, reflecting growing gender inclusion in India’s premier environmental service. Impressively, 50 officers scored above 75%, highlighting the academic depth of the cohort.
State-Wise Representation: MP Tops the List
Madhya Pradesh led the batch with 17 officers, followed by Uttar Pradesh (12), and the AGMUT cadre (7). Here’s a brief breakdown of state representation:
- Madhya Pradesh – 17
- Uttar Pradesh – 12
- AGMUT – 7
- Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal – 6 each
- Andhra Pradesh, Himachal, Maharashtra – 5 each
- Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand – 4 each
- Assam–Meghalaya, Haryana, Uttarakhand – 3 each
- Bihar, Kerala – 2 each
- Punjab, Telangana, Tripura – 1 each
- Bhutan – 2
IGNFA Director Highlights Global Impact
Dr. Jagmohan Sharma, Director of IGNFA, noted that the Academy has now trained 367 Indian officers and trainees from 14 friendly nations. He emphasized that the 2023–25 batch was sensitized to climate policy, governance ethics, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development goals (SDGs) throughout their training.