PM asks civil services to reorient themselves

New Delhi, Apr 21: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked the civil services to reorient themselves to deliver better services to the people and sought to know whether the present method of recruitment was appropriate for inducting the right people into Government services.

Addressing the Civil Services Day function here, the Prime Minister said market signals would not have any meaning for people with little assets or skills required to make them active participants in the evolving market economy.

Stressing the need for making the Government more efficient through a new orientation in the thinking of civil servants, he told the civil servants not to see themselves as mere administrators but also managers.

''You have to manage change and manage efficient delivery of public services. This new orientation must begin at the very beginning,'' he said.

''The modernisation of both economy and society will require governments to play new roles in an increasingly transparent manner.

Our civil servants must learn to grapple with the phenomenal explosion of knowledge. They will have to learn to seek the right information and utilise it for public good,'' the Prime Minister said.

Posing several queries whether the civil services were adequately equipped to address these emerging challenges, the Prime Minister asked ''if not, what must we do to address these challenges? Is the present method of recruitment appropriate for inducting the right kind of persons into Government?

Are performance assessment and appraisal methods for preparing the civil services for the emerging demands on them and the Government? How do we make the civil services an attractive career proposition for a talented young person?.''

Outlining the three major challenges faced by the Government, the Prime Minister said that while markets could facilitate higher growth, the government must ensure that growth is equitable, inclusive and not unduly harsh on those not equipped to manage change. ''Ensuring and assuring equitable and sustainable growth is, therefore, an important challenge before the Government and its managers,'' he added.

Referring to the increasing expectations of citizens and civil society, the Prime Minister said the Government must develop the capability to work in a more open environment with more demanding standards of transparency and accountability.

Emphasising the need to equip the civil services, make them an attractive career proposition and also the need to question the method of recruitment, performance assessment and appraisal methods, Dr Singh said these issues needed to be addressed if the civil services have to be re-invented to meet future needs.

Minister of State for Personnel Suresh Pachouri, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, T.K.A. Nair, Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi and Secretary, Personnel, Pratuysh Sinha and other dignitaries attended the function.

The Prime Minister said modernisation of economy and society would require governments to play new roles and in an increasingly transparent manner. Asking civil servants to learn to grapple with the explosion of knowledge, he said they would have to learn to seek the right information and utilise it for public good.

Also, through greater access to information and effective mechanisms to seek redressal, the average citizen was likely to demand his or her due and would not be very patient about it.

Governments needed to constructively engage with various elements in the civil society, actively seek answers to problems in a transparent manner and manage the interface with public opinion effectively.

Modern governments would have to therefore reorient themselves to this reality and must develop the capability to work in a more open environment with more demanding standards of transparency and accountability.

''To make the Government more efficient, we need a new public service orientation in the thinking of civil servants. You cannot view yourself as mere administrators. You are also managers and catalytic agents of change. You have to manage change and manage it efficiently and equitably and manage efficient delivery of public services. This new orientation must begin at the very beginning,'' the Prime Minister said.

UNI