Latest news with #17thCivilServicesDay
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Yogi congratulates Bahraich DM for PM Award
Bahraich: Chief Minister on Friday congratulated Monika Rani , district magistrate (DM), Bahraich, for being honoured with the prestigious Prime Minister's Award on the occasion of the 17th Civil Services Day . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The award was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a special ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The recognition was given for the exemplary implementation of the 'Seva Se Santushtikaran Abhiyan' a unique initiative aimed at timely resolution of public issues, saturation of govt welfare schemes, and promotion of women empowerment through community participation in Bahraich district. The campaign also contributed significantly to the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra' and the holistic development of the aspirational district of Bahraich, based on key performance indicators. Following the award ceremony, the DM paid a courtesy visit to the CM, during which he praised the district administration's outstanding work and took a detailed briefing on the conceptualization and execution of the campaign. Yogi also encouraged the administration to continue expanding the reach of both central and state govt welfare and development schemes to every village and citizen.
The Hindu
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
A.P. civil servant receives PM's Award for Excellence in Public Administration
V. Prasanna Venkatesh, a young civil servant from Andhra Pradesh, has received the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration. Recognising his outstanding contributions for the Holistic Development of District, Mr. Venkatesh was conferred with the prestigious 'Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration-2023' during the 17th Civil Services Day held in New Delhi on Monday. This is one of the highest honours presented to IAS officers across the nation for exemplary service. Mr. Venkatesh was selected for this honour based on his remarkable efforts as the first Collector of Eluru district, where he served for over two years. Under his leadership, the district witnessed significant improvements in governance and public service delivery. He played a key role in effectively implementing government schemes at the grassroots level and worked extensively towards the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals. His notable initiatives include combating anaemia among women and girls, and launch of 'Akshaja' programme in tribal areas, focused on maternal and post-natal healthcare under a broader framework of social responsibility. Due to his impactful governance and people-centric administration, Eluru was one of the 10 districts across the country selected for this recognition. Mr. Venkatesh is currently serving as the secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society.
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Health funds underuse: States draw sharp rebuke from Nadda
New Delhi: Union health minister J P Nadda on Monday expressed strong concern over the under-utilisation of allocated health funds by states and asked them to focus on improving healthcare infrastructure . Chairing a session at the 17th Civil Services Day celebrations, Nadda said, "I will not allow this narrative to continue that there's no money or capacity to spend it. Utilisation certificates are not even submitted for funds already given." He recounted a recent visit to a state where allocated funds remained unspent for three years due to repeated tendering and delay in equipment procurement. "Models have changed, new versions have come, but the tender process hasn't even begun," he said. Calling implementation the crux of the problem, Nadda said, "We can aim for the world's largest health coverage program... we will not let it go down the drain." He stressed that accountability and coordination across all administrative levels are essential, especially when out-of-pocket expenditure for health has reduced from 62% to 39% - calling it a clear sign of the benefit to common citizens. Highlighting the need for administrative reform within the health sector, Nadda said that many officials, including state health directors and chief medical officers, lack proper training and are hesitant to make decisions. "They are administratively incapacitated. We must support them through capacity building and hand-holding," he said. He pointed out that many district-level administrators are unaware of the Program Implementation Plan (PIP) under the National Health Mission (NHM), which is central to planning and executing healthcare initiatives. "How can they plan if they don't even know the year's implementation plan?" Nadda questioned, and urged IAS officers to take ownership of the PIP and involve district officials in planning before forwarding it to Delhi. He also reiterated govt's long-term vision for Ayushman Bharat , which includes the PM-JAY insurance scheme and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. These, he said, stemmed from extensive consultation since 2015, unlike earlier fragmented health policies. "This is India's first holistic and inclusive health policy," he said, noting its emphasis on geriatric care and early screening for non-communicable diseases. "By the age of 30, everyone should be visiting Arogya Mandirs for screening hypertension, diabetes, oral and cervical cancer, and mental and dental health," he said, underlining the shift from treatment to preventive healthcare .
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Generalist civil servants cannot perform every task: Cabinet secretary TV Somanathan
Cabinet secretary TV Somanathan has backed the lateral entry of bureaucrats as a necessity, saying the same set of generalist civil servants recruited at a young age cannot perform every task. 'There will be tasks where we need to take people on lateral entry,' he said in his address to bureaucrats on 17th Civil Services Day on Monday, underlining this was his personal view and not as India's top civil servant. Somanathan called for competence and subject matter expertise among civil servants. 'The era, when we thought that a good generalist could do everything, is no longer available. We are partly addressing it through our capacity-building programme and lateral entry, which I believe will be a necessity in the future.' The comments came months after the government in August urged the Union Public Service Commission to cancel an advertisement for the lateral entry of 46 bureaucrats. The government suggested a review, keeping in mind reservation norms to ensure social equity, as a political row erupted over the issue. The suggestion came even as the government earlier pushed back against the criticism over lateral entry, saying the scheme began in the earlier United Progressive Alliance government. Bureaucrats are usually recruited through the All-India Civil Services exams. But lateral entrants, typically experts in a particular field, are inducted directly. No quota is currently applicable to these appointments. In his address, Somanathan lauded the civil servants for their role in maintaining India as an island of constitutional democracy in a sea of non-constitutional developments. 'When you look around us, you would not find a single example like India. You would not find a single country that has not gone through an overthrow of an elected leader, a government, a military coup, or violence. This has never happened in India since 1947.' He said this would not have happened without the central services. 'We have had free and fair elections. Governments have been defeated both at the Centre and in states in elections conducted by civil servants. All kinds of services are involved in elections. We have a smooth transfer of power whenever a government changes. We do not have tanks on the streets when there is a change of government. We also have the imposition of President's Rule, which passes off with no problems. Suddenly, there is one government, next moment there is another. But on the street, there is no difference. This is because if the civil services.' Somanathan called this an unqualified success, but said the track record of civil service officers has been much less effective with respect to impartial implementation. 'The poor and the weak are often treated shabbily in our government offices. We all preside over this. Corruption is widespread. Law enforcement is erratic. Political interference in beneficiary selection or appointments is not unknown.' He said there are many success stories of good and impartial implementation, too. Somanathan said they have been able to respond to the emerging demands and needs of different elected governments when they come into office and are able to design policies, programmes that broadly reflect their mandate. In his address to bureaucrats earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said they must transform into key enablers and facilitators of growth. He underscored the responsibility of civil servants to ensure that India becomes the world's third-largest economy at the earliest. Modi urged them to prevent any delays in achieving this critical objective. Modi asked bureaucrats to be tech-savvy and experts in data-driven decision-making. 'You are already witnessing how rapidly Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Physics are evolving... You must prepare yourselves ...for this future technology revolution to deliver the best services to citizens and meet their aspirations.'
Hans India
22-04-2025
- Business
- Hans India
‘Be growth enablers, not regulators': PM asks civil servants to act like craftsmen for growth
New Delhi: Underlining that rapid changes are taking place globally, Prime Minster Narendra Modi on Monday urged bureaucrats to play the role of an enabler to facilitate growth rather than a regulator and a mere keeper of rule books. Addressing civil servants on the 17th Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhavan, PM Modi said India's bureaucracy and policymaking cannot operate on outdated frameworks and that the policies the government is working on now are going to shap e the future of the next 1,000 years. Reflecting on the past role of bureaucracy as a regulator controlling the pace of industrialisation and entrepreneurship, he emphasised that the nation has moved beyond this mindset and is now fostering an environment that promotes enterprise among citizens and helps them overcome barriers. 'Civil services must transform into an enabler, expanding its role from merely being the keeper of rule books to becoming a facilitator of growth,' Modi said. He also conferred the Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration during the event. 'The policies we are working on today, the decisions we are making, are going to shape the future of the next thousand years', he said. 'Our bureaucracy, our work, our policy making cannot continue in the old way. That is why after 2014, a very big 'Maha Yagya' of system transformation started in the country. We are adapting ourselves with this fast pace,' he said. The PM warned that in a technology-driven world, one should not forget the importance of human judgement, and urged civil servants to always pay attention to people's voices. 'Be sensitive, listen to the voice of the poor, understand their problems, make solving them your priority. Just like Atithi Devo Bhava (guests are like gods), we have to move ahead with the mantra that Naagrik Devo Bhava (citizens are like gods).' Modi said, 'I believe that quality of governance does not come just by launching schemes. Rather, quality in governance is determined by how deeply the scheme reached the people and how much real impact it had.' In the last decade, he said, the government has bridged the gap with citizens by leveraging technology, innovation and new practices. 'Its impact is visible in rural and urban areas as well as in remote areas,' he said. To remain relevant, the PM said, the members of civil service have to adapt themselves according to contemporary challenges.
