India's prospects to contain COVID-19 rest on broad shoulders of civil servants: Jitendra Singh

Commending the yeomen services rendered by civil servants in the fight against COVID-19, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said India's prospects to contain the pandemic rest on their broad shoulders.

In an interactive call with a group of select officers of 25 states and five Union territories on the Civil Services Day, Singh said the country's governance model has been widely recognised as promoting meritocracy and constitutional values.

He said district collectors have been leading the fight against the pandemic and India's prospects to contain it rested on the broad shoulders of civil servants, according to a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.

The Civil Services Day events have been deferred due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The Prime Minister's awards for excellence in public administration 2019 and 2020 will now be presented on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the statement said.

Singh complemented the civil servants for their support to the government's COVID-19 relief operations by offering one-day salary to the PM-CARES Fund.

"It is also pertinent to mention here that civil servants for their support to government's COVID-19 relief operations in various ministries of the central government have contributed more than Rs 4,227 crore to the PM CARES fund so far by offering one day salary and through CSR contributions," the minister added.

Singh, the minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions, said minimum government, maximum governance has been the motto of the Modi government.

In the past 6 years the nation has witnessed significant civil service reforms in reorganising and rightsizing of government institutions, recruitment reforms like lateral entry at joint secretary level, improved delivery of public services with emphasis on providing e-services, as also several initiatives with the citizens at the centre, he said.

The publication of the good governance index and the national e-services delivery assessment in 2019 represented India's endeavour to bring its civil service on par with global best practices, according to the statement.

"India's governance model has been widely recognized as promoting meritocracy and constitutional values," it said.

Singh also expressed satisfaction that so far more than 1,44,736 persons have enrolled at the Department of Personnel and Training e-learning platform (https://igot.gov.in) to combat the virus and 96,268 candidates completed the course.

The Government of India celebrates April 21 as Civil Services Day to commemorate the day when the first home minister of independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers in 1947 at Metcalf House, Delhi. He referred to civil servants as the 'steel frame of India'.