Civil servants need to keep themselves abreast with latest tech: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked civil servants on Saturday to keep themselves abreast with latest technological developments so as to meet the rising standards and stressed the need for following a citizen-centric approach.

Addressing an event here, the prime minister also suggested seeking help from startups, research agencies and youngsters for getting new ideas.

With artificial intelligence, information processing is also becoming equally easy, making the citizenry informed and empowering them to keep a tab on all the activities of the government, he said.

"So the civil servants need to keep themselves abreast with latest technological developments so as to meet the rising standards, wherein Mission Karmayogi can prove to be of help," Modi said after launching the "Karmayogi Saptah" -- National Learning Week -- at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre here.

The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building or Mission Karmayogi was launched in September 2020 to foster civil servants' capacity building. It also envisions a future-ready civil service rooted in Indian ethos, with a global perspective.

Modi stressed the need for innovative thinking and following a citizen-centric approach.

He also urged the departments to have a system of feedback mechanisms.

The prime minister emphasised that while the world views artificial intelligence (AI) as an opportunity, "for India, it presents both a challenge and an opportunity", according to an official statement.

Speaking about two AIs -- artificial intelligence and "Aspirational India" -- Modi stressed the importance of balancing both and said "if we successfully utilise artificial intelligence to drive progress for Aspirational India, it could lead to transformative change".

He said the civil services training institutions have been a victim of working in silos.

The prime minister said "we have tried to increase partnerships and collaborations among them" and urged the institutions to establish proper channels of communication to learn from each other, discuss and adopt global best practices, besides inculcating a whole-of-government approach.

Addressing the gathering, Modi said through Mission Karmayogi, "our goal is to create human resources that would become the driving force of our country's development".

Expressing his satisfaction at the progress made, he said "if we keep working with this passion, no one can stop the country from progressing".

Modi underlined that the new learnings and experiences during the National Learning Week will provide strength and help improve working systems, "which will help us achieve our goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047".

The prime minister also discussed the steps taken to change the mindset of the government over the last 10 years, the impact of which is being felt by people today.

He said this has become possible due to the efforts of the people working in the government and through the impact of steps like Mission Karmayogi.

The National Learning Week launched on Saturday will provide a fresh impetus towards individual and organisational capacity development for civil servants, creating a "One Government" message and aligning everyone with national goals and promoting lifelong learning, said the statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Modi lauded the iGOT (Integrated Government Online Training) platform and said more than 40 lakh government employees have registered themselves on it.

"Over 1,400 courses are available and more than 1.5 crore certificates of completion in various courses have been received by the officers," the statement said.