Need to continuously update public services to achieve goal of 'Viksit Bharat': PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday stressed the need for continuously updating civil services with the changing times to achieve the goal of 'Viksit Bharat'.

In a video message at the launch of 'Sadhana Saptah', he said that the governance of the country should improve the ease of living and the quality of life for citizens on a daily basis. Modi stated that the principle of governance in the country is based on the mantra "Nagrik Devo Bhavah" (citizens are like gods). This mantra, with a collective spirit, aims to make public services more capable and sensitive to the needs of citizens, he said.

"When we talk about reforms and changes in administrative services, then one meaning of that is a change in the behaviour of public servants. We all know that in the old system, the emphasis was more on being an officer, but today it is on the sense of duty," the prime minister said. Modi noted that present efforts should be seen in the larger canvas of 'Viksit Bharat' of 2047. "What will be the impact of the work being done by us (civil servants) on the development journey of the country? How many citizens' lives can be changed by one of our decisions? How can our individual transformation become an institutional transformation? This question should be a part of our every effort," he said.

Modi stated that understanding technology and using it properly has become an essential part of public service.

"You will be a better administrator, a better public servant, only if you understand technology and data. This will become the basis of your decision-making, hence work is being done to facilitate capacity building and continuous learning in the field of AI," the prime minister said. Sadhana (Strengthening Adaptive Development and Humane Aptitude for National Advancement) Saptah, one of the largest collaborative capacity-building efforts across India's civil services ecosystem, is being organised by the Capacity Building Commission (CBC) from April 2 to 8.  

The commission designs frameworks, sets standards and encourages collaboration to make governance more transparent, accountable, citizen-centric and future-ready. It is the custodian of the Mission Karmayogi framework to drive civil service reforms through capacity-building and competency-based learning.