Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (21 April) addressed civil servants at a two-day function celebrating the Civil Services Day. He also conferred the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration and launched the book Viksit Bharat on the occasion.

In his speech, the Prime Minister spoke about the contributions of the civil services in nation-building and how it needs to adapt to the times.

He touched upon a wide range of subjects, from talking about the government’s flagship schemes, successes in eliminating fake beneficiaries, and the role of the younger civil servants in the 'Amrit Kaal'.

He also spoke about the role of the bureaucracy vis-à-vis political parties and the misuse of taxpayers’ money.

“It is the job of the bureaucracy to analyse whether a political party is making use of taxpayers’ money for the benefit of their own organisation or the nation’s,” he said.

He asked the bureaucrats to analyse whether parties are using the money to create a vote bank instead of making people’s lives better, advertising themselves instead of making people aware, or appointing their own party workers to various organisations.

The Prime Minister said that the next 25 years of India’s journey as an independent nation or the Amrit Kaal should be considered a ‘Kartavya Kaal’.

“The century of independence will be the golden century for the country. This is the time for rapid change. Your role will be determined not by your rights but by your duties,” he said.

In his concluding remarks, the Prime Minister also spoke about the role of young civil servants who have just joined the bureaucracy in the coming 25 years of India’s journey as an independent nation or the Amrit Kaal.

He said that they have a chance to make a mark of prominence in history when the accomplishments of the nation will be evaluated after 100 years of independence.

“You can say with pride that I have played a role in creating new systems for the country and also improving it,” he told the young bureaucrats in the audience.

Kartavya Kaal

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