P K Mishra, principal secretary to PM Modi (File photo)
NEW DELHI: To make civil services future ready and to achieve the goal of a developed India, the principal secretary to PM, P K Mishra, Thursday suggested three guiding principles — “reorienting the purpose of civil services to developmental state, re-imagining selection to identify deeply capable individuals and building a lifelong learning state”.Addressing the centenary conference of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the country’s top bureaucrat also spoke about a shift from process compliance to outcome delivery; from incremental improvement to accelerated transformation; from siloed govt departments to interoperable digital infrastructure; and from a state that delivers to citizens to a state that partners with citizens.In a statement, the PMO said Mishra underlined how emergence of technology, urbanisation, climate challenges and frequent disasters have reshaped the responsibilities of civil servants, and today’s governance demands collaboration more than hierarchy.Highlighting the world is becoming more interconnected and volatile, with strategic competition spanning technology, supply chains, data, cybersecurity, AI, space and critical minerals, he said civil servants are managers of uncertainty, interpreters of complexity and guardians of India’s strategic interests, and their readiness must begin with how they are selected.
