PM’s address at 16th Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi
Speaker: Narendra Modi
Date: 21 Apr, 2023

My cabinet colleague Dr. Jitendra Singh, Shri P.K. Mishra ji, Shri Rajiv Gauba ji, Shri Srinivasan ji and all the Karmayogi friends attending this program and ladies and gentlemen! Best wishes to all of you on the Civil Services Day. This year’s Civil Services Day is very important. This is a period when the country has completed 75 years of its independence. This is a period when the country has started taking rapid steps to achieve the mammoth goals of the next 25 years. The officers, who joined this service 15-20-25 years ago, had a big role in bringing the country to this ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. Now, there is an important role for the young officers who are going to be in this service for the next 15-20-25 years. Therefore, I would tell every civil service officer in India today that you are very lucky. I am sure that you will have complete faith in my words. Maybe, some people don’t even believe that they are not blessed. Congratulations to everyone for their own notions. You have got an opportunity to serve the country during this period. It is the responsibility of all of us to fulfil the dreams of the freedom fighters of the country in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. We have little time, but plenty of potential. Our goals are tough, but our spirits are not low. We may have to climb a mountain, but our intentions are higher than the sky. India, which has reached today in the last nine years, has prepared our country for a very big leap. I often say that the bureaucracy in the country is the same, the officers and employees are the same, but the results have changed. If India has assumed a special role on the global arena in the last nine years, then the cooperation of all of you has been very important in this regard. If even the poorest of the poor of the country has got the confidence of good governance in the last nine years, then your hard work has paid off in this, too. If India’s development has gained new momentum in the last nine years, it was also not possible without your participation. Despite the catastrophe of Corona, today India is the fifth largest economy in the world. Today India dominates the Fintech world and it is number one in terms of digital payments. Today India is among those countries in the world where mobile data is the cheapest. Today India has the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world. Today, the rural economy of the country is going through a massive change. Compared to 2014, the electrification of railway lines is taking place in the country 10 times faster. As compared to 2014, National Highways are being constructed in the country at double the speed today. As compared to 2014, the capacity augmentation in the country’s ports has almost doubled. Compared to 2014, the number of airports in the country has more than doubled today. The awards given here today prove your participation in the success of the country and reflect your sense of service. I once again congratulate all the award winning colleagues. Friends, During my address from the Red Fort on August 15 last year, I called for ‘Panch Prans’ (five pledges). These are — to have a grand goal of building a developed India, to get rid of every mentality of slavery, to have a sense of pride in India’s heritage, to continuously strengthen the unity and solidarity of the country, and to keep one’s duties paramount. The energy that will emanate from the inspiration of these ‘Panch Prans’ will take our country to the height it has always deserved. I am also happy to note that you have also kept the theme of Civil Services Day as ‘Developed India’ this year. What is the thinking behind the creation of a developed India is also reflected in the book which has just been released. Developed India is not just limited to modern infrastructure or modern construction. It is necessary for a developed India that India’s government system should support the aspirations of every countryman. It is necessary for a developed India that every government employee of India should help the countrymen in making their dreams come true. It is essential for a developed India that the negativity which was associated with the system in India in the past few decades should be changed into positivity and our system should fulfil its role as a partner to the countrymen. Friends, Our decades-old experience after independence has been that no matter how well the plans are, how wonderful the roadmap is on paper, but if the last mile delivery is not improved, the expected results will not be achieved. You are well aware that it was due to the earlier system that there were more than four crore fake gas connections in the country. It was due to the earlier system that there were more than four crore fake ration cards in the country. It was due to the earlier system that one crore imaginary women and children in the country were being helped by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It was due to the earlier system that the Minority Affairs Ministry was doling out scholarships to about 30 lakh fake youths. And this is also the result of the earlier system itself that lakhs of fake bank accounts were created in the country under MNREGA and money was transferred to lakhs of workers who did not exist. You imagine, who were never born, who were born only on paper, a huge ecosystem was involved in corruption under the guise of millions and crores of fake names. Today, with the efforts of the country and all of you, this system has changed and about three lakh crore rupees of the country have been saved from going into the wrong hands. All of you deserve congratulations for this feat. Today this money is being used for the welfare of the poor, making their lives easier. Friends, When time is limited, it becomes very important to decide what will be our direction and what will be our working style. Today the challenge is not how efficient you are, but the challenge is to determine how to remove the deficiency. If our direction is correct, then the strength of efficiency will increase and we will move forward. But if there is deficiency then we will not get the desired results. You recall earlier new methods were invented to control even the smallest thing in every sector under the guise of deficiency. But today the same deficiency has been converted into efficiency. Today, the same efficiency is identifying the smallest obstacles related to the policy, so that they can be removed. Earlier, the approach was that ‘the government will do everything’, but now there is thinking that ‘the government will work for everybody’. Now the government is using time and resources efficiently with the spirit of working ‘for all’. The motto of today’s government is — Nation First-Citizen First. The priority of today’s government is preference for the underprivileged. Today, the governance is available up to the Aspirational District and Aspirational Blocks. Today’s government does not consider the country’s border villages as the last villages, but as the first villages and is running the Vibrant Village scheme. This has been an important highlight of our government in the past few years. But we always have to keep one more thing in mind. We have to work even harder and constantly need innovative solutions for 100% saturation. Now that such a vast infrastructure of Digital India is available with us, we have such a huge amount of data, but still we see that every department asks for the same information, the same documents, which are already there in some or the other database. A lot of administrative time is consumed into giving NoC, certificates and clearances etc. We need to find their solutions. Only then Ease of Living will increase, only then Ease of Doing Business will improve. I would also like to give you the example of the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. Under it, data layers related to all types of infrastructure are available on a single platform. We have to make maximum use of it. We should also make maximum use of the PM GatiShakti for better planning and execution in the social sector. This will help us identify the needs of the people and remove the difficulties in execution. This will further simplify communication between departments and between districts and blocks. This will also make it easier for us to make further strategies. Friends, This ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence has brought as many opportunities for all the government employees of India, but it is equally challenging. In spite of so many achievements, in spite of rapid progress, why am I calling it a challenge? I think you must also understand this. Today, the aspirations of the people of India are increasing very fast. The countrymen do not want to wait any longer for a developed India and for the system to change. In order to fulfil this aspiration of the people of the country, all of us will have to mobilize with all our might. Decisions will have to be taken fast and those decisions will have to be implemented as fast as possible. And you have to keep this in mind that it is not because I am saying this. You must also be realizing that the expectations of the whole world from India have increased a lot. Experts from all over the world and various international organizations are saying that India’s time has arrived. In such a situation, India’s bureaucracy does not have to lose a single moment. Today, I would like to make a request to the bureaucracy of India, to every government employee of India, be it in the state government or the central government. The country has put a lot of trust in you and has given you an opportunity. Therefore, live up to that trust and work. I often tell you that in your service, the basis of your decisions should be only the interest of the nation. It is possible that you will come across a situation when you have to make a decision for an individual or for a group, but even then you must think about how your decision, even if it is a small one, will be in the interest of the nation. In other words, the criterion for you is the interest of the nation. And today I want to add one more thing to this criterion for India’s bureaucracy. I am sure you will live up to this criterion also. Friends, Political parties are very important in any democracy and it is also necessary. And this is the beauty of democracy. Every party has its own ideology and the Constitution has given this right to every party. But being a bureaucrat, being a government employee, now you must take care of some questions in your every decision. Is the political party, which has come to power, using taxpayers’ money for itself, or for the benefit of the country? Friends, you will have to keep an eye on it. Is that political party using government money for its expansion or for the development of the country? Is that political party looting government money to create its own vote bank or is it working to make everyone’s life easier? Is that political party promoting itself with government money, or is it honestly creating awareness among people? Is that political party appointing its own workers in various organizations or is it giving everyone an equal opportunity to get jobs in a transparent manner? Is that political party not making changes in policies so that new avenues of black money can be created for its masters? You must consider all these questions before making every decision. The bureaucracy which Sardar Patel used to call the steel frame of India, the same bureaucracy has to live up to his expectations as well. Because now if there is any lapse on the part of the bureaucracy, then the country’s wealth will be looted, tax payers’ money will be destroyed and the dreams of the country’s youth will be shattered. Friends, I would like to specially say a few things to the youth who have joined the civil service of the country in the last few years or in the last decade. You also know that there are two ways to live life. The first is ‘getting things done’ and the second is ‘letting things happen’. The first is a reflection of an active attitude and the second is a passive attitude. The person who prefers the first way thinks that yes, change can come. A person who believes in the second method says, ‘Okay, let it be, everything goes on like this, it has been going on before, it will continue like this, it will happen on its own, it will be fine’. Those who believe in ‘getting things done’ go ahead and take responsibility. When they get the opportunity to work in a team, they become the driving force. With such a burning desire to make a difference in people’s lives, you will leave a legacy that will be remembered by many. You also have to remember that your success as an officer will not be measured by what you have achieved for yourself. Your success will be measured by how your work has changed the lives of others. What do the people whose lives you were responsible for changing think of you? Therefore, you always have to remember that ‘good governance is the key’. When there is people centric governance, when there is development oriented governance, it not only solves the problems, but also gives better results. There is accountability towards the public in good governance. If one district performs well in the same state and the other does not, then the real reason behind this is the difference in good governance. We have the example of Aspirational Districts in front of us. When we appointed young officers of the country full of enthusiasm there and inspired them for good governance, the results were also excellent. Today, many Aspirational Districts are performing very well in terms of development parameters as compared to other districts of the country. When you focus on people’s participation, then the sense of ownership among the public will also be stronger. And when the people take ownership of a scheme, unprecedented results are sure to come. You have the examples in the form of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Amrit Sarovar Abhiyan, Jal Jeevan Mission etc. The main basis of their success is the ownership by the public. Friends, I am told that you are preparing a District Vision@100 keeping in mind the aspirations of your district. The same vision should be up to the panchayat level. Which sectors do we have to focus on in our Gram Panchayat, our block, our district, our state? What are the changes to be made to attract investments? What are the products in our district, block or panchayat which can be exported? We should have a clear vision regarding these. You can link MSMEs and Self Help Groups to promote local products in your area. I think it is the need of the hour for all of you to encourage local talent, support local entrepreneurship and promote the start-up culture. Friends, It has been more than 20 years for me being the Head of the Government. Many of you have been working with me over the years. I would say that I am fortunate that I have got the opportunity to work with colleagues like you. You know how much emphasis I have always laid on capacity building. I am happy that today ‘Mission Karmayogi’ has become a huge campaign among all the civil servants. The aim of ‘Mission Karmayogi’ is to utilize the full potential of civil servants. The Capacity Building Commission is taking this campaign forward with full force. I also believe that training and learning should not remain a formality for a few months. Therefore, the iGOT platform has been created to ensure that quality material related to training and learning is available everywhere at all times. Now all the new recruits are also being trained with the orientation module of ‘Karmayogi Prarambh’ on iGot. Friends, Over the years, the government has freed the bureaucracy from yet another shackle. This is the bond of protocol and hierarchy. I myself have started breaking the shackles of hierarchy. I constantly meet with secretaries and assistant secretaries. I also meet with the trainee officers. We have also promoted brainstorming camps in the central government for new ideas and to increase everyone’s participation within the department. Another big change has come due to our endeavours. Earlier, the officers used to get the experience of working in the Central Government on deputation only after spending considerable time in the states. No one thought that if these officers did not have experience of working in the Central Government, then how would they implement the programs of the Centre? We tried to fill this gap through the assistant secretary program. Now, the young IAS gets a chance to work in the Central Government and gain experience in the initial year of his career. He gets to learn something from senior most people. We have to take forward such innovations and make constant efforts to take these efforts to the pinnacle of results. Friends, The country has considered the ‘Amrit Yatra’ of 25 years as a period of duty for a developed India. The centenary of independence, the golden century of the country, will be when we will give first priority to our duties. Duty is not an option for us but a resolution. This is the time of rapid change. Your role will also be determined not by your rights, but by your duties and your performance. The power of the citizens of the country has increased in New India and so is the power of India. You have got an opportunity to play an important role in this new emerging India. When history will make an assessment after 100 years of independence, you have the opportunity that your name should figure prominently in it. You can say with pride that you have played a role in creating new systems for the country and improving the systems. I am sure all of you will continue to expand your role in nation building. Capacity building should be our endeavour at every moment, for ourselves, for our colleagues and also for the system. We will have to keep on making efforts to surpass new heights. I believe that the Civil Services Day is not an annual ritual. This Civil Services Day is the time for resolutions. This Civil Services Day is the time for new decisions. This is the occasion to implement the decisions in the stipulated time with enthusiasm and energy. If we move forward with a new energy, new inspiration, new power, new strength, new resolve from this occasion, then we will certainly achieve what we want. With this belief, I wish you a lot. Thanks.