Iqbal Singh Bains

Iqbal Singh Bains is the current Additional Chief Secretary under State Government of Madhya Pradesh. He has over 30 years of experience as a member of India’s premier civil service, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and has worked in a wide range of government departments, from energy to rural development to aviation. In 2012 he was responsible for conceptualizing and implementing the Public Service Delivery Guarantee Act in Madhya Pradesh, the first of its kind in India. It guaranteed to citizens the time bound delivery of public services and has been used as a critical tool for curbing corruption at the lower levels of state bureaucracy. For their work they received a United Nations Public Service Award as a mark of effective and responsive public administration. In August 2016 he was responsible for establishing the groundbreaking Ministry of Happiness in Madhya Pradesh, a volunteer led initiative to promote happiness as an essential component of public policy. Alongside numerous other activities, this Ministry designed a programme called “Pause” in collaboration with Initiatives of Change, India. This aspired to equip people with the competences and skills required to live a fulfilling life and better harness their own potential.