IAS Narendra Kumar Shah belongs to 2016 batch and is currently posted as district Commissioner, Nagaon.His focus in the district is on empowering the community financially and improving their quality of life through innovative and sustainable initiatives such as pearl farming and ensuring round-the-clock access to water.

Under Shah’s leadership ‘Asomi Pearl Farming’ initiative was launched, leveraging the districts abundant ponds and addressing the financial instability of rural households due to lack of diversified income and heavy reliance on traditional fish farming. “Pearl cultivation is a sector we are trying to take up in the district,” said Shah. The initiative integrates freshwater mussels into existing fish culture ponds, optimizing resource use and promoting sustainability.

Further explaining he stated “Each mussel can yield two pearls selling for Rs. 70-200. This model ensures profitability, with a buy-back guarantee from APDCS covering all production costs and reducing financial risks.” Additionally, Assam Pearl Development Cooperative was established to promote and coordinate development efforts, provide training, and for buy-back agreements.

Under the project, approximately 100,000 mussels have been planted across the ponds of 170 women, with the target of producing 160,000 pearls by July 2025.The initiative also aims to position Nagaon as one of India’s largest freshwater pearl-producing districts by 2030.Beyond economic empowerment, the project promotes environmental sustainability by reducing chemical use.

In addition to pearl farming, Shah has launched the ‘Amar Jal Amar bhandar’ initiative to address water scarcity and ensure efficient water use.The program includes installing 200-300 litre water storage tank in each household and equipping them with automatic closing valves to prevent wastage.The initiative focuses on providing consistent water supply while reducing wastage and maintaining pressure.

This community centric initiative actively involves beneficiaries in cost sharing and decision making.So far, 7000 household tanks have been installed improving public health by reducing risk of waterborne diseases and easing the burden on women traditionally responsible for water collection.