Address by Shri M.

Venkaiah
Naidu, Honourable Vice
President at the Valedictory
Function of the 94th Foundation
Course of All India Services and
Central Civil Services at Dr Marri
Channa Reddy HRD Institute, in
Hyderabad on 6 December,
2019.
“I am delighted to be here today at the DrMarriChanna Reddy Human
Resources Development Institute (MCRHRDI) of Telangana for the
Valedictory Function of the 94th Foundation Course and to interact
with the officers of the All India Services and Central Civil Services.

At the outset, let me congratulate all the 140 All India Services and
Central Civil Services Officers present here, who represent 23 States of
India, for having made it to one of the most prestigious and promising
careers that this country can offer.

I am told that officers, who attended the 100 day long 94th
Foundation Course, belong to 15 Services, including IPS, IFS, IRS (IT),
IRS (Customs & Central Excise), IRTS, ISS, IES etc.

I am very happy to note that one of the unique characteristics of the

94th FC was a 5-week common Foundation Course for all the Officer
Trainees of the batch, which was a first-of-its-kind initiative in its own
right. I am told that it included a Himalayan Trek, Village Visit and
stay at the LalBahadurShastri National Academy of Administration in
Mussoorie.

Such a common Foundation Course was much needed to develop

brotherhood and understanding between officers so that later on, they
function seamlessly as a team in the field. The village visit would
certainly give the officers a good understanding about rural life.

Dr MCR HRD Institute deserves great appreciation for designing a

comprehensive approach towards training, by including not just
academic inputs but also a number of outdoor and extra-curricular to
enable Officers Trainees to develop a much broader, comprehensive
vision.

My dear young Officers,

Today, you complete your Foundation Course and enter the next
crucial phase of your in-service training.

You will soon join the ranks of the higher echelons of the Civil Service
of our country, conceived by India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Patel
as the “steel frame of India”.

You will undertake the task of further nurturing and fortifying India’s
modern economy, democratic polity and for safeguarding our culture.

The Civil Service that Sardar Patel dreamt of, was an administrative
set up that would zealously fight poverty and bridge the many divides
that tend to weaken our nation.

A Civil Servant, like all of us Indians, owes allegiance to the

Constitution and consequently has a fundamental duty to strive hard
to create a just society with equal opportunity for all citizens.
As SardarVallabhbhai Patel put it so beautifully in his stirring address
to civil service probationers at Metcalf House in New Delhi on 21 April
1947:

“Officers must be guided by a real spirit of service in their day-to-day

administration, for in no other manner can they fit in the scheme of
things

Your predecessors were brought up in the traditions in which they felt

out of touch and kept themselves aloof from the common run of the
people. It will be your bounden duty to treat the common men in
India as your own or to put it correctly, to feel yourself to be one of
them.”

This lofty ideal is what the Civil Servants in independent India have
striven for, over the last 70 years.

You are inheritors this illustrious legacy. The government and the
people of this country expect you to add further glowing chapters to
this chronicle.

The civil service was created as a unifying force that would bring
together diverse groups in the country’s journey towards inclusive
development. In a multi-lingual, multi-religious, pluralistic society like
India, this is the most vital requirement. Unity and integrity of our
country must be the prime consideration in deciding our policies and
actions.

Being objective, honest, impartial and having a broad vision of

national integration and inclusive development is the first step
towards becoming an effective, responsive civil servant.

Today, after 70 years on independence, India has a number of socio-

economic and political achievements to its credit.
But we also still suffer from formidable challenges of poverty,
unemployment, inequality, discrimination, environmental degradation
and social evils such ascasteism, gender discrimination and violence.

We have miles to go before we can confidently say that we have

achieved the lofty goals of inclusive and sustainable development.

The pace with which India will progress is largely determined by how
efficiently officers such as you will manage and deliver critical
development projects.

You have the most important role of translating “Swarajya” to

“Surajya”.

In other words, it is your responsibility to ensure that the fruits of

development reach each citizen and each person in this country must
feel that there is a perceptible improvement in their quality of life.

This is possible only if governance becomes corruption free, citizen-

centric and business friendly.

You are all aware of a number of systemic reforms being introduced

by the government to ensure that citizens are not inconvenienced and
businesses are facilitated, particularly for the improvement of
delivery systems.

We have quite a few progressive legislations, policies and programs

today.

These policy interventions must be translated into tangible outcomes

at the grassroots level.

I am hopeful that each one of you will excel in delivering outstanding

results in every project that you undertake.
My dear young officers,

It is a matter of concern that the Civil Service still carries many

features of the colonial system of governance. In the colonial system,
the ruler was the master and those who were ruled were treated as
the servants.

However, in the independent India, the ruler should be the servant of

the people.

As our beloved Prime Minister, Sri NarendraModi, calls himself the

PradhanSevak of the people, all of you are ‘pramukhsevaks’ of the
people. That is the spirit of ‘seva’ you must imbibe. That is the touch-
stone of your success.

But how many of the bureaucrats genuinely think of themselves as

sevaks? There is, therefore, a pressing need to change the focus of the
Civil Services and look upon people as partners in development and
not as suspicious opponents.

Each one of you is an ambassador of the government. Very often, you

are the interface between the government and people. You must treat
every person who comes before you with respect and empathy,
ensuring that they get the dignity they deserve.

Your job is much larger in scope and scale than just disposing files.
Your job is to take critical decisions that will positively impact the lives
of the common man. Therefore, always look at matters with a
compassionate and empathetic eye.

You must also strive to interact with people in the official

languages of their own states. Only then will you be able to
understand them and they will be able to appreciate your work.
My dear sisters and brothers,

In keeping with the principle of reform, perform, and transform, the

Government has taken several measures to reform bureaucracy.

Some of the innovative initiatives include push for the lateral entry of
domain experts, induction of the 360 degree appraisal format,
introduction of biometric attendance in government offices, zero
tolerance for corruption, experiments with the time-tested recruitment
rules of civil servants, cultivation of a new work ethic, etc.

I am of the firm belief that the bureaucracy needs to be more

outcome-oriented.

To transform India into a developed nation, we need to work with the

guiding principle of ‘minimum government and maximum governance’
with a singular focus on improving the quality of life of people in
general and the weaker sections in particular.

I call upon young Officers to learn from the best practices within and
outside India, from both the private as well as the public sector, and
strive to reform the procedures, systems, and organization structure,
wherever required, for producing outstanding results. You must also
strive to improve digital literacy and move to more efficient
service delivery systems like Direct Benefit Transfer, leveraging
the possibilities of Information Technology.

However, it is observed that many of the officers work in their

watertight compartments.

It is, therefore, advisable that they work together in unison,

complementing and supporting each other with their specific domain
experiences in order to attain higher levels of productivity through
synergy.
Merely changing systems, procedures and organization structure is not
enough to deliver outcomes. There should be corresponding changes
in your thinking and functioning.

Please remember that unless we change how we think, we will not be

able to change what we do.

Also always uphold the guiding principles that form the bedrock of the
higher civil services in the country, the principles of ‘empathy’,
‘efficiency’, ‘impartiality’ and ‘Incorruptibility’.

I urge the Officers to always maintain a spotless track record of

honesty and efficiency. This can be achieved through better
transparency and accountability at all levels.

I am sure the maximum use of e-governance initiatives of the

Government will be instrumental in achieving a higher level of
transparency at all levels.

I must also say that training should not be a routine event but an
opportunity for you to master some new knowledge, skills and
become a passionate life-long learner, always willing to learn, absorb
and act.

The Officers must attend training programs at different points of their

professional career in order to update their skill sets.

Never let complacency take over. Keep acquiring new knowledge and
continue improving your skills so that you may grow personally and
help the nation grow as well.

I would like to take this opportunity to compliment DrMarriChanna

ReddyHRD Institute for taking shape as one of the best academies for
training public servants in India
My best wishes for each of the Officer Trainees for a bright future
ahead in service of the nation.

Thank You!

Jai Hind!”