PM calls upon Civil servants to become agents of change
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he had “never been disappointed” with bureaucrats and always tried to see the best in them, provoking instant comparison with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had warned two days ago – “work with us or quit and face us in polls”.
Addressing a gathering of officials at an event to mark Civil Services Day, the prime minister said: “I have never had to raise my voice to a bureaucrat. I never had a bitter experience with a bureaucrat.”PM Modi’s tenor was strikingly different from that of Mr Kejriwal, a former bureaucrat who joined politics in 2012.
At a similar event on Tuesday, the Chief Minister seized the chance to send out a stern message.”We can tolerate anything but we will not tolerate politics. If you are interested in politics, then resign, contest elections and confront us,” he said in what was widely interpreted as a warning.
“People are happy with our government. Like it or not, but we are here for 10-15 years. Those officers who are above 45, we are your only option,” Mr Kejriwal pressed on.He also cautioned bureaucrats against any politics with elected representatives, saying: “We know how to deal with such bureaucrats.”
PM Modi is known to trust top bureaucrats with the stewardship of his flagship schemes and policies.In contrast, Mr Kejriwal, a former taxman, has been struggling to get along with the bureaucracy, mainly because of his Aam Aadmi Party’s constant tussle with the Centre over the control of key departments in Delhi.
In December, some 200 officers went on a day’s mass leave in solidarity with two of their colleagues suspended for “insubordination” after they followed the Centre’s orders.
Alleging a conspiracy in the strike, timed just before the odd-even trial, Mr Kejriwal called the officers “full-fledged B-teams of the BJP”.
Prime Minister has called for experiments to bring change in society and creating an atmosphere where everyone can contribute. Prime Minister said, the need of the hour for everyone is to become an agent of change at every level, as only being an administrator and controller is not enough.
Stating that the energy of 125 crore Indians will take the nation ahead, the Prime Minister said, there is a need to work in a team tirelessly for development of different States of the country.
The Prime Minister called for competitive cooperative federalism among states so that more development can be ensured. Mr Modi asked the civil servants to work with strength and dedication.Mr Modi said, civil servants can transform the country by working in a positive direction. Congratulating the awardees for their successful initiatives, he said their success could prove inspirational for other civil servants.
This year for the first time a new category of excellence in implementing a Priority Programme was added to the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration. Anantpur district in Andhra Pradesh, Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir and Dadra and Nagar Haveli got award in the swachh vidyalaya category.
Similarly Bikaner District of Rajasthan and West Sikkim district were awarded for Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin.North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal, Nagaon district of Assam and Chandigarh got awarded for implementing Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.
Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh and Hamirpur District in Himachal Pradesh got awarded for soil health card scheme. In his address, Minister for Personnel Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the government has taken a lot of measures to create a work friendly environment for bureaucrats so that they can perform to their best of the ability.
