One district, one problem, total solution should be ideology, Modi tells civil service probationers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called upon civil services probationers to identify one big problem in their areas of posting and solve it completely, saying 'one district, one problem and total solution' should be their ideology.

Addressing the probationers of Civil services on the occasion of National Unity Day to mark the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbahi Patel, Modi said the probationers will get postings at block and district levels and will be required to find solutions to various problems.

"You should take one big problem of the society and try to solve it at one time. 'One district, one problem and total solution' should be your ideology," he said.

"Often in excitement, we try to solve all the problems and try every bid. This diverts both the resources and efforts and this dilutes our efforts. If we will solve one problem at a time it will increase people's confidence in us," he added.

He urged the civil servants to be polite and proactive.

"You should be proactive and polite, professional and progressive, energetic and enabling, efficient and effective, transparent and tech-enabled," he said.

Modi said there was need to change the "negative perception" about the bureaucracy which he termed as "colonial legacy".

"One of the big responsibilities on your shoulders is to end the negative perception of the bureaucracy and system. The term bureaucracy has a negative connotation and there is no need to write bad bureaucracy or bad system. Why this has happened? Most of our officials are laborious and receptive but the negative perception still exists," he said.

"There is a negative perception about civil services being all about hard power, officialdom, clout and this is all colonial legacy which is still carrying on to some extent. You have to change this perception, you have to change it...from being perceived as hard power to soft power," he added.