Civil Service has to reorient itself: PM

PM Manmohan Singh has put several posers before the country's bureaucrats, including whether the present method of recruitment was appropriate for inducting the right persons into the Govt.

Addressing the first Civil Services Day function in the capital, Singh, credited with the country's liberalisation process, also stated categorically that market signals cannot have significance for millions of people living on the edge of subsistence with little in the form of assets or skills to be active participants in the evolving market economy.

He asserted that the civil service has to reorient itself and be trained to deliver better services to the people.

"To make the Government more efficient, we need a new public service orientation in the thinking of civil servants. You cannot view yourself as mere administrators. You are also managers. You have to manage change and manage efficient delivery of public services. This new orientation must begin at the very beginning," he said.

"Are the civil services adequately equipped to address these emerging challenges? If not, what must we do to address these challenges? Is the present method of recruitment appropriate for inducting the right kind of persons into Government? Are performance assessment and appraisal methods for preparing the civil services for the emerging demands on them and the Government? How do we make the civil services an attractive career proposition for a talented young person?," Singh asked.

Courtesy: www.ddinews.com