PM Modi to young IAS officers "Every file represents aspirations, lives of countless citizens"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told young IAS officer trainees that every government file represents the aspirations, concerns and lives of countless citizens, and urged them to ensure that governance remains empathetic, responsive and citizen-centric.

Interacting with 183 officer trainees of the IAS-2024 batch attached as assistant secretaries across various ministries, the Prime Minister said administrators must place people at the centre of every decision under the guiding principle of “Nagrik Devo Bhava”.

Modi stressed that major developmental challenges cannot be addressed in isolation and called for stronger inter-departmental coordination to achieve meaningful and long-lasting outcomes. He asked officers to adopt a whole-of-government approach in line with national priorities such as “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, “Make in India”, manufacturing growth, and energy security.

He said governance in the last decade has shifted from a process-driven system to a result-oriented model, with digital governance and artificial intelligence playing a growing role in improving service delivery and transparency.

Highlighting the vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047”, the Prime Minister said every policy decision must contribute to building a developed India and urged officers to evaluate their work based on measurable outcomes rather than positions held.

He also underlined the importance of data-driven governance, saying data should be seen as a reflection of people’s real-life challenges and aspirations, not just numbers.

Modi noted that over 40 per cent of the current IAS batch comprises women officers, expressing confidence that their participation will significantly strengthen India’s development journey.

Senior officials, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P K Mishra, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan and others, were present during the interaction.