PM presents awards, addresses civil servants on Civil Services Day

Published By : Admin | April 21, 2017 | 12:40 IST
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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today presented awards and addressed civil servants on the occasion of the eleventh Civil Services Day.

Describing this day as one of “rededication,” the Prime Minister said that civil servants are well aware of their strengths and capabilities, challenges and responsibilities.

He said conditions prevailing today are quite different from about two decades ago, and would evolve much further over the next few years. Elaborating on this, the Prime Minister said that earlier, Government was almost the sole provider of goods and services, which left a lot of scope for ignoring one’s shortcomings. However, now, very often, people perceive that the private sector offers better services than Government. The Prime Minister said that with alternatives now being available in several areas, the responsibilities of Government officers have increased. He added that this increase is not in terms of scope of work, but in terms of the challenge.

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of competition, which brings qualitative change. He said that the sooner the attitude of Government can change from regulator to enabler, the faster this challenge of competition will become an opportunity.

The Prime Minister said that while the absence of Government in a sphere of activity should be perceptible, its presence in a sphere of activity should not become a burden. He asked civil servants to strive towards such arrangements.

Noting the quantum jump in the applications for Civil Service Day awards, from less than 100 last year to over 500 this year, the Prime Minister said that the focus should now be on improving quality, and making excellence a habit.

The Prime Minister urged senior officers to ensure that experience does not become a burden that stifles innovation of younger officers.

Shri Narendra Modi said that anonymity is one of the greatest strengths of the civil services. He cautioned officers that the use of social media should not lead to a decline in this strength, even as social media and mobile governance are leveraged for connecting people to benefits and government schemes.

Speaking in the context of “reform, perform and transform”, the Prime Minister said that political will is needed for reform, but the “perform” part of this formulation must come from civil servants, while transformation is enabled by people’s participation.

The Prime Minister said that civil servants must ensure that every decision is taken keeping national interest in mind, and this should be their touchstone for taking a decision.

Recalling that the year 2022 would mark 75 years of independence, he urged civil servants to play the role of catalytic agents in fulfilling the dreams of freedom fighters.

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PM chairs CCS Meeting to review the situation and mitigating measures in the context of ongoing West Asia Conflict
March 22, 2026
Short, Medium and Long term measures to ensure continued availability of essential needs discussed in detail
Alternate sources of fertilizers for farmers were also discussed to ensure continued availability in the future
Several measures discussed to diversify sources of imports required by chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and other industrial sectors
New export destinations to promote Indian goods to be developed in near future
PM instructs that all arms of government should work together to ensure least inconvenience to citizens
PM directs that a group of Ministers and Secretaries be created to work dedicatedly in a whole of government approach
PM instructs for sectoral groups to work in consultation with all stakeholders
PM asks for proper coordination with state governments to ensure no black-marketing and hoarding of important commodities

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security to review the situation and ongoing and proposed mitigating measures in the context of ongoing West Asia Conflict.

The Cabinet Secretary gave a detailed presentation on the global situation and mitigating measures taken so far and being planned by all concerned Ministries/Departments of Government of India. The expected impact and measures taken to address it across sectors like agriculture, fertilisers, food security, petroleum, power, MSMEs, exporters, shipping, trade, finance, supply chains and all affected sectors were discussed. The overall macro-economic scenario in the country and further measures to be taken were also discussed.

The ongoing conflict in West Asia will have significant short, medium and long term impact on the global economy and its effect on India were assessed and counter-measures, both immediate and long-term, were discussed.

Detailed assessment of availability for critical needs of the common man, including food, energy and fuel security was made. Short term, Medium term and Long term measures to ensure continued availability of essential needs were discussed in detail.

The impact on farmers and their requirement for fertiliser for the Kharif season was assessed. The measures taken in the last few years to maintain adequate stocks of fertilizers will ensure timely availability and food security. Alternate sources of fertilizers were also discussed to ensure continued availability in the future.

It was also determined that adequate supply of coal stocks at all power plants will ensure no shortage of electricity in India.

Several measures were discussed to diversify sources of imports required by chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and other industrial sectors. Similarly new export destinations to promote Indian goods will be developed in the near future.

Several measures proposed by different ministries will be prepared and implemented in the coming days after consultation with all stakeholders.

PM directed that a group of ministers and secretaries be created to work dedicatedly in a whole of government approach. PM also instructed for sectoral groups to work in consultation with all stakeholders.

PM said that the conflict is an evolving situation and the entire world is affected in some form. In such a situation, all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of this conflict. PM instructed that all arms of government should work together to ensure least inconvenience to the citizens. PM also asked for proper coordination with state governments to ensure no black-marketing and hoarding of important commodities.