Hearts of civil servants should beat for poor and underprivileged, says President Murmu to IAS of 2021 batch

President Droupadi Murmu said a compassionate civil servant whose heart beats for the poor and the underprivileged is a true civil servant as distinct from merely a career bureaucrat.

Addressing a group of 182 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of 2021 batch, she said uplifting the marginalised sections of society should be an article of faith for them.

“You should make efforts to understand the link between ‘file to field' and also between ‘field to file'. This people-centric alertness and sensitivity will make you engage with the files in a far more meaningful manner,” Murmu said.

The President asked the officers to always visualise the people who are going to be impacted by the files “you deal with”.

IAS officers, currently posted as assistant secretaries in various Union ministries and departments, had called on Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre here.

“I have seen from close quarters the difficulties and problems faced by the people living in backward areas and belonging to the deprived segments of our society. I have also seen some sensitive civil servants who went the extra mile to help such people,” she said.

She said an inclusive, progressive and sensitive society allows greater space to women in all walks of life.

“The nation is on the path of women empowerment and women-led development. I am very happy that the historic ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' has been passed by both the Houses of Parliament. Women are breaking stereotypes and the glass ceiling. They are playing increasingly larger roles in all aspects of growth and development,” Murmu said.

She expressed happiness over increase in percentage of women IAS officers in the past four years.

“I have been told that in the batches from 2019 to 2022, the percentage of women IAS officers had ranged between 28 per cent to 34 per cent. I am very happy to note that the percentage of women IAS officers has gone as high as 42 per cent for the batch 2023.

“Also, out of the top 25 ranks, 14 positions have been occupied by women. These are fresh winds of positive changes. All of you have to further strengthen this trend and make our society more and more inclusive,” Murmu said.

She said their training component include “Bharat Darshan and not Bharat Bhraman” and that they have learnt a lot from it.

“You should build upon the glimpses of our great nation seen by you and make your awareness deeper and wider through continuous learning,” the President said.

Murmu told the officers that their service is unlike any other service in terms of authority, role and responsibility.

“In fact, it is not a service, it is a mission. It is the mission to take India and its people forward under the framework of good governance. Serving the nation and its people is your destiny. Making India an inclusive and developed nation is your collective destination,” she said.

The President said that they are fortunate that their career span is almost co-terminus with “Amrit Kaal” – the period up to 2047, the centenary of India's independence.

“This Amrit Kaal is rightly being described as ‘Kartavya Kaal' for every Indian. This period also covers the larger time-slice of our remaining window of demographic opportunity. You can make a huge contribution by enabling the fellow young citizens to realise their potential in different fields. You have the great opportunity to contribute to building the developed India of 2047,” she added.