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Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge for the upcoming UPSC civil services exams. Here’s the knowledge nugget for today.
(Relevance: Governance and bureaucracy are central to both the UPSC exam and the roles that civil service aspirants aim to take up. With two key events this week related to bureaucracy—the final results of the Civil Services Exam 2024 and Civil Services Day—today’s knowledge nugget is especially significant for aspirants, as are the Prime Minister’s words on this occasion. The key takeaways from his speech are highly relevant for Ethics, Essay, GS Paper II, and the Personality Test. More importantly, their relevance extends beyond the exam.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed an event organised on the occasion of Civil Services Day. Speaking to the civil servants, Prime Minister spoke on a range of themes related to bureaucracy and governance. Check out the 10 key takeaways.
1. Reflecting on the past role of bureaucracy as a regulator controlling the pace of industrialisation and entrepreneurship, he emphasised that the nation has moved beyond this mindset and is now fostering an environment that promotes enterprise among citizens and helps them overcome barriers. “Civil services must transform into an enabler, expanding its role from merely being the keeper of rule books to becoming a facilitator of growth,” PM said.
2. PM Modi said India’s bureaucracy and policy making cannot operate on outdated frameworks and that the policies the government is working on now are going to shape the future of the next 1,000 years. “To fulfil these extraordinary aspirations, extraordinary speed is essential,” he said.
3. PM warned that in a technology-driven world, one should not forget the importance of human judgement, and urged civil servants to always pay attention to people’s voices. “Be sensitive, listen to the voice of the poor, understand their problems, make solving them your priority. Just like Atithi devo bhava (guests are like Gods), we have to move ahead with the mantra that Naagrik devo Bhava (citizens are like Gods).”
4. He said in the age of technology, governance is not about managing systems, it is about multiplying possibilities. In the last decade, he said, the government has bridged the gap with citizens by leveraging technology, innovation and new practices. “Its impact is visible in rural and urban areas as well as in remote areas,” he said. To remain relevant, the PM said, the members of civil service have to adapt themselves according to contemporary challenges. The prime minister said quality in governance is determined by how deeply schemes reach the people and their real impact on the ground. The holistic development of India means no village, no family and no citizen is left behind. ‘Holistic Development of India’ was the theme of this year’s Civil Services Day.
5. In the past 10 years, he said, India has moved beyond incremental change to witness impactful transformation. “India is setting new benchmarks in governance, transparency and innovation,” he added. Referring to the G20 Summit hosted by India in 2023, he said the approach of ‘janbhagidari’ turned the event into a people’s movement and the world acknowledged.
6. Regarding efforts to reduce bureaucratic delays, he said that the government has eliminated over 40,000 non-compliances, and decriminalised over 3,400 legal provisions. “I remember, when we were working to reduce the burden of compliance, when we were decriminalising some of the mistakes that happen during business, it was a surprise to me that there were voices of protest in some corners. Many people used to say, ‘it has not happened till date, why are you doing it’? ‘It is working, let it be’. ‘What difference does it make to you? Let them comply, why are you increasing your work’,” he said.
7. India has ambitious goals for the coming years in all sectors from clean energy, energy security to advancements in sports and space exploration, he said, adding that with these goals in mind, civil servants have an immense responsibility and should strive to prevent delays.
8. Reiterating the “Panch Pran” vision announced from the Red Fort—emphasizing the resolve for a developed India, liberation from the mindset of servitude, pride in heritage, the power of unity, and the honest fulfillment of duties— PM Modi emphasized that civil servants are key to upholding these ideals. He stated, “Every time you choose integrity over ease, innovation over inertia, or service over status, you push the nation forward,” affirming his full trust in the civil service.
9. Addressing young officers at the start of their careers, he acknowledged the role of society in shaping individual success, noting that many aspire to give back. He urged them to recognize the unique privilege they hold in serving the nation and to make the most of this opportunity granted by the people.
10. Recalling Sardar Patel’s historic remark on April 21, 1947, calling civil servants the “Steel Frame of India,” PM Modi highlighted Patel’s vision of a disciplined, honest, and democracy-driven bureaucracy committed to national service. He stressed the continued relevance of these ideals in India’s journey toward becoming a Viksit Bharat. “We have to increase the competence of civil servants so that we can prepare a future-ready civil service; that is why I consider both Mission Karmayogi and Civil Service Capacity Building Programme very important.”
— It is capacity-building scheme for civil servants aimed at upgrading the post-recruitment training mechanism of the officers and employees at all levels.
— The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) envisioned by the Government, addresses the changing needs and aspirations of the citizen. Anchored by an apex body and headed by the Prime Minister, it is designed to enhance the civil services under a national programme.
— The NPSCSB aims to embark on a learning transformation program that will address the capacity building issues of the Civil Services through a comprehensive online platform – iGOT Karmayogi.
— iGOT Karmayogi provide ‘anytime-anywhere-any device’ learning to train around 2.0 crores users which was so far unachievable through traditional measures. Supported by a robust e-learning content industry the content can be curated by individual government ministries or organizations.
What was the theme of 17th National Civil Services Day?
(a) ‘Bringing Citizens and Government closer’
(b) ‘Viksit Bharat: Empowering Citizens and Reaching the Last Mile’
(c) ‘Holistic Development of India’
(d) None of the above
| Answer |
| (c) |
(Sources: dopttrg.nic.in, Be growth enabler, not regulator; can’t work on outdated set-up: PM to bureaucrats (IE))
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