President Murmu's Warning: Why Integrity Trumps Skill for India's Civil Servants

Inaugurating the national conference for the Chairpersons of State Public Service Commissions, being organised by the Telangana Public Service Commission, she stated that honesty and integrity are paramount as well as non-negotiable.

She underlined that lack of skills and competencies can be dealt with through learning interventions and several other strategies, but lack of integrity may cause grave challenges which may be impossible to overcome.

The President said that young people seeking employment as civil servants should have the inclination to work for the marginalised and the vulnerable. “Our civil servants should be particularly sensitive to the needs and aspirations of women. Gender-sensitisation should be given high priority by Public Service Commissions,” she said.

The President said that impartiality, continuity and stability are imparted to the process of governance by what is called the ‘permanent executive’ or the body of public servants selected by the Public Service Commissions. Integrity, sensitivity and competence of the civil servants constituting the permanent executive are of utmost importance for implementing the people-oriented policies at national and state levels.

She suggested to the Public Service Commissions to anticipate the emerging challenges on the frontiers of technology, strengthening transparency and credibility, as well as developing globally comparable teams of civil servants.

The President said that India, as the world’s fastest-growing major economy and also a nation marked by enormous diversity, needs the most effective governance systems at all levels. “The country is aiming to be the third-largest economy in the world in the near future. We are also moving towards achieving the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, she said.

She expressed confidence that the Public Service Commissions will continue to fulfil their responsibilities and contribute towards building a future-ready team of civil servants selected and guided by them.

The President pointed out that the Constitution makers dedicated an entire part of the Constitution to Services and Public Service Commissions. This highlights the significance they attached to the roles and functions of the Public Service Commissions for the Union and for the states, she said.

“Our Constitutional ideals of social, economic and political justice, and equality of status and of opportunity are most pertinent to the functioning of the Public Service Commissions. The Preamble of the Constitution, the Fundamental Right of equality of opportunity in matters of public employment and the Directive Principle guiding the state to secure a social order for the promotion of welfare of the people indicate the pathways for the Public Service Commissions,” she said.

“The Public Service Commissions should not only be guided by the ideal of equality of opportunity but should also try to achieve the goal of equality of outcomes. The Commissions are change-agents which promote equality and equity,” she added.

Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, UGC chairman Vineer Joshi and others attended the conference.

- IANS