President Pranab Mukherjee today asked civil servants to ensure the sanctity of public funds which are nothing but a trust reposed by them in their hands.
He said this while interacting with a group of trainee officers of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service who called on him at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
The group also included two officers from the Royal Audit Authority of Bhutan.
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The President, an official spokesperson said, told the officers that they would be getting an opportunity to shoulder tremendous responsibility at a very young age.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Mukherjee said they should learn as if they were to live forever.
He said the fundamental principle for them to follow should be that no one can benefit illegally at the cost of public funds as these funds depict the trust of the public.
Mukherjee also quoted Thomas Kempis saying they should always keep in mind that a structure is lofty due to the deep foundation laid.
The President said it was important for them to have a strong foundation laid in the initial years as he wished the probationary officers all success in their careers.
Stating these officers are directly responsible for looking into financial transactions, he urged them to ensure that they do this as per rules.
