Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that civil servants’ objective should be ensuring prosperity of people, and asked the new batch at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration which trains new IAS and other services’ officers to imbibe this value.

Addressing over 360 Officer Trainees of the 92nd Foundation Course at LBSNAA on the second day of his visit, Modi said that before independence, the Civil Services were tasked with the objective of preserving the British Raj but now their purpose was ensuring “prosperity and well-being of the people”, an official statement said.

He said if civil servants imbibe these objectives, the gap between Government machinery and the people can be bridged.

The Officer Trainees belong to 17 Civil Services, and three Services of the Royal Bhutan Civil Service.

Earlier, the trainees made presentations on essays written by them on the subject “Why I joined the Civil Services” and on themes such as housing, education, integrated transport systems, malnutrition, solid waste management, skill development, digital transactions, and others.

The trainees also presented the best of their ideas on the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Complimenting them on the presentations, Modi said that he has instructed that these presentations be studied in depth by senior Central government officers, whose observations and feedback should be shared with the trainees before the end of the Foundation Course.

Giving tips to the trainees on how to prepare for their life immediately after the end of the training, he said that they must always be alert and attentive to the people around them, and also stressed on the importance of jan-bhagidaari, or public participation, for policy initiatives to be successfully implemented.

Citing the problem of “silos”, and lack of team spirit among civil servants, Modi said it can be effectively tackled during the initial training at Mussoorie.

Referring to the trek performed by Officer Trainees during the Foundation Course, he asked them to imbibe its key techniques, such as team spirit and leadership, and apply them throughout their careers.

He also said that social movements can drive change in a democracy, and the civil services should be the catalysts for this.

Earlier in the morning, the Prime Minister participated in the Yoga session of the Officer Trainees, held in the lawns of the Academy, in the backdrop of the Himalayas, and later unveiled plaques to mark the laying of foundation stone of the new hostel building, and a 200 metre multifunctional synthetic athletic track.

He also visited the ‘Balwadi’ (creche) at the Academy and interacted with the children.