New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday underscored the importance of enhancing the capabilities of civil servants to build a future-ready civil service and highlighted the significance of Mission Karmayogi and the Civil Service Capacity Building Program in achieving this goal.
Addressing the civil servants on the occasion of 17th Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan here, the Prime Minister stressed the immense responsibility on civil servants to ensure that India becomes the world’s third-largest economy at the earliest, and urged them to prevent any delays in achieving this critical objective.
He also stressed on the need for civil servants to acquire skills that not only help them understand technology but also enable its use for smart and inclusive governance, an official statement said.
“In the age of technology, governance is not about managing systems; it is about multiplying possibilities,” he added.
He stressed on the importance of becoming tech-savvy to make policies and schemes more efficient and accessible through technology. He highlighted the need for expertise in data-driven decision-making to ensure accurate policy design and implementation, and observing the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, predicting a forthcoming revolution in technology that will surpass the digital and information age,
He urged civil servants to prepare for this technological revolution to deliver the best services and fulfill citizens’ aspirations.
Mentioning the rapid changes occurring globally, noting how even within families, interactions with younger generations can make one feel outdated due to the fast pace of change, the Prime Minister highlighted the swift evolution of gadgets every two to three years and how children are growing up amidst these transformations.
He emphasized that India’s bureaucracy, work processes, and policy making cannot operate on outdated frameworks.
He remarked on the significant transformation initiated in 2014, describing it as a grand endeavour to adapt to the fast-paced changes. He highlighted the aspirations of India’s society, youth, farmers, and women, stating that their dreams have reached unprecedented heights and stressed the need for extraordinary speed to fulfill these extraordinary aspirations.
The Prime Minister outlined India’s ambitious goals for the coming years, including energy security, clean energy, advancements in sports, and achievements in space exploration, emphasising the importance of raising India’s flag high in every sector.
Expressing happiness over the theme of this year’s Civil Services Day, ‘Holistic Development of India’, Modi emphasised that this is not just a theme but a commitment and a promise to the people of the nation.
“Holistic development of India means ensuring that no village, no family, and no citizen is left behind”, he said, adding that true progress is not about small changes but about achieving a full-scale impact.
He outlined the vision of holistic development, which includes clean water for every household, quality education for every child, financial access for every entrepreneur, and the benefits of the digital economy for every village. He said that quality in governance is not determined by the mere launch of schemes but by how deeply these schemes reach the people and their real impact.
The Prime Minister noted the visible impact in districts like Rajkot, Gomati, Tinsukia, Koraput, and Kupwara, where significant progress has been made, from increasing school attendance to adopting solar power.
He also congratulated the districts and individuals associated with these initiatives, acknowledging their excellent work and the awards received by several districts.
Stating that over the past 10 years, India has progressed from incremental change to impactful transformation, the Prime Minister emphasised that the country’s governance model is now focused on Next Generation Reforms, leveraging technology and innovative practices to bridge the gap between the government and citizens.
He remarked on the success of Aspirational Districts and emphasised the equally remarkable achievements of Aspirational Blocks. He recalled that the programme was launched in January 2023 and has shown unprecedented results in just two years, highlighting significant progress in indicators such as health, nutrition, social development, and basic infrastructure across these blocks.
Modi said, “The successes of the past 10-11 years have laid a strong foundation for a developed India”, adding that the nation is now beginning to construct the grand edifice of a developed India on this solid base but acknowledged the significant challenges ahead.
He urged a strong focus on last-mile delivery to ensure inclusivity in development. He highlighted the evolving needs and aspirations of the citizens, remarking that the civil service must adapt to contemporary challenges to remain relevant.
The Prime Minister stressed the need for setting new benchmarks, moving beyond comparisons with previous benchmarks. He urged measuring progress against the vision for a developed India by 2047, examining whether the current pace of achieving goals in every sector is adequate, and accelerating efforts wherever necessary.
He emphasised the need to closely monitor global challenges in rapidly changing times, highlighting that food, water, and energy security remain major issues, particularly for the Global South, where ongoing conflicts are exacerbating difficulties, impacting daily lives and livelihoods.
He further mentioned about the importance of understanding the growing interconnection between domestic and external factors.
He called for the need to reimagine reforms for civil servants, calling for an accelerated pace and expanded scale of reforms across sectors, such as infrastructure, renewable energy goals, internal security, terminating corruption, social welfare schemes, and targets related to sports and the Olympics, urging the implementation of new reforms in every domain.
He also invoked the principle of “Nagrik Devo Bhava”, likening it to the ethos of “Atithi Devo Bhava”, and called on civil servants to see themselves not just as administrators but as architects of a developed India, fulfilling their responsibilities with dedication and compassion.
Modi also conferred the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration and congratulated everyone on the occasion and highlighted the significance of this year’s celebration, as it marks the 75th year of the Constitution and the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Present on the occasion were Union Minister of State for Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh, Principal Secretary – 2 to Prime Minister, Shaktikanta Das, Cabinet Secretary, TV Somanathan and Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, V Srinivas.
UNI
