New Delhi [India], April 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the 17th Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi, emphasized the need for modern, future-focused bureaucracy that delivers large-scale, meaningful impact, not just incremental change.
Highlighting the significance of this year’s event, PM Modi noted its alignment with the 75th anniversary of the Constitution and the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He invoked Patel’s legacy, describing civil servants as the “Steel Frame of India”, a phrase coined by Patel on April 21, 1947.
“A civil servant who sees serving the nation as their highest duty, who runs the administration democratically with honesty, discipline, and dedication, is crucial as we move towards building a Viksit Bharat (Developed India),” said PM Modi.
He stated that the decisions being taken today will shape the country’s future for the next thousand years, calling for transformative governance. “We’ve completed the first 25 years of this new millennium. The foundations we lay today will define India’s trajectory for a millennium,” he said.
PM Modi stressed that India’s aspirational society — comprising youth, women, and farmers — demands rapid progress. He called for civil services to abandon outdated systems and adopt dynamic, responsive governance.
The Prime Minister lauded the theme of this year’s Civil Services Day, ‘Holistic Development of India’, saying it reflects a collective commitment to ensure no citizen, family, or village is left behind. He stressed that quality governance is measured not by the number of schemes launched, but by the depth of their impact.
Citing success stories from aspirational blocks, PM Modi praised improvements in public service delivery. In Peeplu block of Tonk, Rajasthan, child measurement efficiency at Anganwadi Centres surged from 20% to 99%. In Jagdishpur, Bhagalpur (Bihar), pregnant women registration rose from 25% to over 90%. Similarly, Marwah block in Jammu & Kashmir saw a sharp increase in institutional deliveries.
PM Modi also launched two e-Coffee Table Books highlighting district-level innovations and excellence in public administration. He later presented the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration to districts and government bodies for outstanding performance and innovation.
Civil Services Day commemorates Sardar Patel’s iconic address to the first batch of Administrative Service Officers in 1947 at Metcalfe House, Delhi — a tradition reaffirmed annually by civil servants rededicating themselves to public service.