I thank you for
electing me to the responsibility of the President of India, and I
enter this office with all humility. Coming here to Central Hall has
brought back so many memories. I have been a Member of Parliament
and here, in this very Central Hall, have had discussions with many of you.
Often we agreed, sometimes we disagreed. But we learnt to respect each other, and
that is the beauty of democracy. I grew up in a mud house, in a small village.
My journey has been a long one, and yet this journey is hardly mine alone. It
is so telling of our nation and our society also. For all its problems, it
follows that basic mantra120 given to us in the Preamble to the
Constitution that is, ensuring Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity and I
will140
always continue to follow this basic mantra. I bow to the 125 crore citizens of
this great nation and promise160 to stay true to the trust they have
bestowed on me. Our Independence was the result of efforts by thousands of patriotic
freedom fighters led by Mahatma Gandhi. Our great leaders did not
believe that simply political freedom was enough. For them, it was crucial to
achieve economic and social freedom for millions of our people.
We would be
completing 70 years of our Independence soon. We need to build an India that is
an economic leader as well as240 a moral exemplar. For us, those two
touchstones can never be separate. They are and must forever be linked. The
key to India’s success is its diversity. Our diversity is the core that
makes us so unique. In this land280 we find a mix of states and regions,
religions, languages, cultures, lifestyles and much more. We are so different
and yet so similar and united. The India of the 21st century will be one that
is in conformity with our320 ancient values as well as compliant with
the Fourth Industrial Revolution. There is no dichotomy there, and no
question of choice. We must combine tradition and technology, the wisdom of an
age-old Bharat and the science of a contemporary India. 360
It is a great
pleasure for me to be among you today. I congratulate you on being
successful in such a tough and competitive examination. You have chosen a very
noble profession. Forests have always been special to Indian ethos and
culture. Our civilization has derived its intellectual and spiritual
strength from forests. These forests, therefore, are not merely420
a resource but they also cover the cultural, spiritual and intellectual
heritage of the country. The onus of protecting this heritage is now on
you. The responsibility lies on you to ensure environmental security,
accommodating the sustainable development needs of the country. In the past
few decades, the world has woken up to threats to the very survival of
humankind due480 to environmental degradation, depletion
in forest cover and above all, global warming leading to climate change. That
is why the environment has become a key concern for the 21st century, and forests are an integral part
of the solution.
As you are
aware, India has emerged as a global leader in handling complex
climate change issues. Our national forest policy envisages that 33 per
cent of the land mass should be under forest cover. You have to find ways560
and means to enrich the natural forests, and facilitate bringing
non-forest areas under tree cover. Forests are a potential carbon sink. They
could help us reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the threat
of global warming. Our country has set600 a target to sequester an additional three
billion tons of carbon in our forests by 2030. Forests can also help fight the adverse
impact of climate change. Mangrove forests protect coastal areas from
cyclones and tsunamis; forests on the hill640 slopes protect the soil and prevent landslides
and flash floods; healthy watersheds having good forest cover insulate areas
from droughts and increase agricultural productivity. Millions of very poor
people, including tribals, live in and around the forests of our country. We
need to be sensitive to their basic requirements of food, firewood,
fodder and such small needs. These are700 simple and hardworking people and
look up to you for guidance and reassurance. Please treat them as your
partners in management720 and not as intruders.
Our country has
adopted the joint forest management model, which is based on the
"care and share” principle. It envisages a participatory approach,
involving local people and communities in the management of forests. You just
cannot accomplish the task entrusted to you without involving these people and
communities. You have joined a public service and are the nation’s soldiers in
an important area of environmental and ecological conservation.
Discharge your duties fairly, without fear, with honesty, 800 and in such a way
that your actions benefit the nation and common citizens as a whole. India
is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and
we have set ourselves stiff targets. You have to strike a840
balance between conservation needs and development requirements. Your
job is not to pose problems but to provide solutions. Forestry is a challenging
profession. It was an exclusive domain of men till recent times but thankfully
that has changed. It is heartening that more and more lady officers are
opting to join the Indian Forest Service. I sincerely hope the
lady officers will bring about a meaningful change due to their hard
work and dedication. Lady forest officers will not only be able to
correct the gender distortion; they will also bring a fresh
outlook to the working of your department. This is a welcome development
for the country.
It is a pleasure for me to be among
you. I congratulate960
you on your selection to the Indian Administrative Service. At
Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, our first Home Minister,
realized that980
India could not be integrated and governed unless it had an efficient
and professional All India Civil Service. This Civil Service needed to
have the necessary job security and safeguards to allow it to offer independent
advice to the political executive. The All India Services have
played a significant role in the development of the country and the
growth of our economy. Even so, we have to be mindful of the
expectations of our young population, and of the poor and marginalized sections
of our society. We cannot ignore that there are often legitimate
questions that are asked about the1080 quality of our governance systems
and our bureaucratic mechanism. Sometimes these perceptions may be more adverse
than reality warrants. But perceptions do matter. There is also a
perception that over a period of time certain officers get identified
with one1120
or the other political dispensation or individual. You must guard against this.
The most important challenge before you will be to give confidence to the
people of India that civil servants are fair, honest, professional and
efficient.
As public servants, you need
to be role models in your personal conduct. In your professional
conduct, honesty and integrity, humility, and sensitivity to the diversity of
India and of our society are non-negotiable. A question that you need to
ask yourself is: 1200
Whom do you really work for? The usual answer would be that you work for the
people of India. But there are people who need the government and who need your
support and service more than the others. These are our fellow citizens who are
economically weak, socially disadvantaged and politically under-empowered as
well as those who are treated with1260
a disadvantage only because they are women. It is on these groups that
you must focus your energies. The civil1280 services have to function within the larger
system of political governance. Political leaders are elected to
represent the wishes of the people in a democracy, and frame the agenda of
the government. Civil servants are to assist the political executive in
formulation and implementation of policy. They must ensure that government
policies are formulated in accordance with the law and the spirit of
the Constitution. Civil servants must have the courage to provide frank advice,
independent and free from bias, to the political executive whom they assist. For
this, officers need to encourage professionalism not only in their own
working but also in the organizations they lead. They need to be
strongly committed to updating their knowledge and skills as1400 well as building capacity of those
who work under them.
The Induction Training Programme is an
important milestone as you enter a new phase in your careers. The wider
role you will now play in the governance and administration of1440 India calls for realignment of
attitudes, refinement of skills and expansion of perspective. There
should be an even greater commitment to rising above caste, community and
regional identities. Wherever you may work, irrespective of the district
or the State, the Ministry or the Department, you will be contributing
to nation building. This course is aimed at providing an all-India perspective.
It is planned to develop a sense of awareness and responsibility for
working at the next level in the State and Union Governments through imparting
multidisciplinary knowledge and skills to function effectively as an administrator;
instilling the right attitude and approach to understanding the role of the Indian
Administrative Service in developing institutions for nation-building; and inculcating
a sense of camaraderie and connect with your peers from other parts
of the country. I trust the course has been able to achieve its
objectives and enhance your skills in the important role you will play
in governance. I wish you a1600
long and fulfilling career in the Indian Administrative Service.
