'Women, minorities to be well represented in govt'

New Delhi, Apr 21: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the UPA is committed to ensuring proper representation for women and minorities at all levels in government.

''As a government committed to appropriate affirmative action for all disadvantaged sections, we will ensure that Constitutional commitments are fulfilled and that women and minorities are properly represented at all levels in government,'' he said while inaugurating the second ''Civil Service Day.'' Dr Singh asked the civil servants to be sensitive to the concerns of weaker sections, particularly the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities and women and children.

Pointing out that more and more women were joining the civil services, Dr Singh said special attention should be paid to improving work practices and administrative procedures which took into account their special problems involving twin roles as active members of the labour force as well as home makers.

He asked the All-India service officers to preserve their "all-India" character. ''You need to carry grassroots experience to the Centre and a national perspective to the states,'' he told the 500-odd civil servants attending the day-long conference.

Asking them to play a unifying role even while serving states, he told them that they had a duty to ensure that national goals and objectives were kept in mind while acting at the state-level.

''India was designed to be one large common market of people and goods. Nothing should be done to erode the cohesion of our country," Dr Singh said, while reminding the All-India services that their responsibility of maintaining a national outlook had increased at a time when the polity was getting increasingly fragmented.

With the rapid economic growth leading to a manifold increase in the quantum of work and the performance expectations having been been increased in terms of speed and quality, Dr Singh said the government was no longer seen merely as a law enforcer or a controller of national resources. ''It is increasingly viewed as a provider - albeit an efficient provider - of basic services and public goods.''

Pointing out that the people expected the government to facilitate growth and development, Dr Singh said civil servants had to shift from being controllers to facilitators and from being providers to enablers. He said there was a need to take steps to improve the capabilities of the civil servants and maintain their morale as their working conditions became more demanding. "This is essential if civil servants have to remain at the cutting edges of modern administrative practices." ''We are trying to make it easier for the honest and motivated among you to be duly recognised and rewarded while the dishonest are punished,'' said Dr Singh, who earlier gave away the maiden Excellence in Public Administration Award.

Saying that there was a consensus across the globe that India would be among the top three economies of the world by 2025, the Prime Minister said he was convinced that there were no binding external constraints on achieving our objectives.

''If at all there are constraints or bottlenecks, they are all domestic. And it is up to all of us in government to deliver this vision of a prosperous, progressive, inclusive nation.'' Commending on the good work of the civil service, Dr Singh said one of the basic elements of the governance architecture was the presence of an impartial, honest, efficient and fearless civil service.

''However, the challenge before us is to change the role of the civil servants in society, without diluting quality and standards and retaining the regard of the society.''

UNI