The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today urged civil servants to maintain a positive outlook, convert adversity into opportunity, and strive towards perfection.
Addressing civil servants on Civil Services Day, the Prime Minister recalled Sardar Patel's vision of the Civil Services of independent India, and the role of the Civil Services in national integration. The Prime Minister said today socio-economic integration should also be an objective of the Civil Services. He said national unity today implied an end to the digital divide, urban-rural divide, and all forms of socio-economic inequity. He said the entire administrative machinery today should be geared up to serve the needs of society.
"Sheelam Param Bhushanam", (character is the highest virtue) the Prime Minister reminded the civil servants, urging them to maintain a positive outlook, and spend quality time with their family as well. "Your life should not become a file," the Prime Minister said.
On the subject of good governance, the Prime Minister said it requires the ART of Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency. He said that as the Indian economy moves from "scarcity" to "plenty," the Civil Services required capacity-building to be able to better serve people. The Prime Minister urged senior Civil Servants to spend time in motivating youth to aspire for, and join the Civil Services, to ensure that the best talent was available to the Government.
He referred to a Goldman-Sachs report which said it will take India a decade to reach the Asian average on government effectiveness. He said that while political interference was undesirable, political intervention was necessary to ensure people-friendly governance in a democracy. He urged civil servants to end the "silo-approach" and work as a team.
The Prime Minister said that teams of officers from various states should take up as case-studies, the award winning projects, and ensure that these are adopted as best practices, wherever possible. He called upon all civil services to develop an institutional memory.
The Prime Minister conferred the 'Awards for Excellence in Public Administration’ for the years 2012–13 and 2013-14 to outstanding initiatives in Public Administration. A book on ‘Best Practices – Tomorrow is Here’ was also released by the Prime Minister.
