PM asks civil servants to become “agents of change”

PM exhorts civil servants to become “agents of change”; calls upon Government officers to engage with people.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today exhorted civil servants to become “agents of change” in their respective organizations and departments. Addressing civil servants on Civil Services Day, the Prime Minister said that in the 21st century, civil servants need to redefine their role, and move beyond controlling, regulating and managerial capabilities, and think of themselves as change agents.

The Prime Minister urged civil servants to build teams. He said that his mantra of “Reform to Transform”, should be interpreted by civil servants as “Reform to Perform to Transform.” He said if civil servants were able to perform, the transformation on the ground would be evident.

The Prime Minister said that ‘Jan Bhagidari’ (public participation) is the key to success, as highlighted by the initiatives which have received awards today. He therefore urged civil servants to engage with the people, so that the Government’s schemes and initiatives can be better implemented on the ground.

The Prime Minister described Civil Services Day as an occasion to reflect and undertake a critical evaluation of the journey so far, and resolve to move ahead with fresh determination.

Congratulating the awardees for their successful initiatives, he said their success could prove inspirational for other civil servants. The Prime Minister noted that 74 success stories were shortlisted for consideration for awards this year, which represents a substantial jump over previous years. Nevertheless, he added, this represents only about 10 per cent of India’s districts. He urged all districts to become more proactive in this regard.

The Prime Minister urged civil servants to be bold enough to experiment and look at new ways of achieving objectives in the interest of the people.

Recalling the recent Committees of Secretaries which had been formed at his initiative to look into key areas of governance, he said that officers worked on these tasks voluntarily, after office hours and on holidays. He said these teams had successfully broken silos, and presented fresh ideas and suggestions. They had devoted 10,000 manhours to this work, he added.