ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRI RAM NATH KOVIND ON THE OCCASION OF CALL ON BY THE OFFICER TRAINEES OF INDIAN AUDIT AND ACCOUNTS SERVICE, INDIAN TRADE SERVICE AND INDIAN INFORMATION SERVICE
Rashtrapati Bhavan : 17.09.2018
1. I am happy to meet all of you, that is, the Officer Trainees of three important Central Civil Services – Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Indian Trade Service and Indian Information Service. I extend to all of you a warm welcome to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. I congratulate each one of you for having successfully cleared the very rigorous Civil Services Examination and for having opted to join a career with the Government. This is not just a career but a service to the people of this country.
2. The Audit and Accounts Service Officers shall be joining a much respected Department with a legacy of more than 150 years. On the other hand, Officers of Trade and Information Services are going to manage their respective domains that are critical in the modern world. Your services are very different but at the same time all of them are united by a common ultimate goal – that is, to impart public service for the benefit of the nation and its people.
3. The Audit and Accounts Service Officers have a critical role in ensuring the accountability of the Executive to the Legislature. Thereports of the CAG submitted to the Legislature play a pivotal part in enforcing this accountability on the executive. The Audit report is a crucial input for the parliamentary committees such as the Public Accounts Committee and Committee on Public Undertakings for holding public functionaries to account, in judging their level of performance and recommending improvements.
4. As Officers of the Audit and Accounts Service you shall be guardians of public trust and financial prudence. Always bear in mind that the objective of audit should be to improve governance strategies. The credibility of your findings will determine the utility of audit for enhancing the quality of governance. While you are indeed watchdogs, it is also important that your approach is not a faultfinding one but is a constructive one aimed at solving the problems at hand.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
5. आज का समय वैश्वीकरण का है। इसका सबसे अधिक प्रभाव राष्ट्रों की अर्थ-व्यवस्था पर पड़ा है। अब किसी भी राष्ट्र की शक्ति का मूल्यांकन, काफी हद तक, उसकी अर्थ-व्यवस्था की शक्ति के आधार पर किया जाता है। हम आज एक ऐसी दुनिया में रह रहे हैं, जहां आपस में एकीकरण लगातार बढ़ता जा रहा है। वैश्विक बाजार तथा व्यापार में अपनी हिस्सेदारी बढ़ाने के लिए राष्ट्रों के बीच प्रतिस्पर्द्धा चलती रहती है। इसी परिप्रेक्ष्य में, आप में से उन सभी अधिकारियों को मैं बधाई देना चाहता हूं जो इंडियन ट्रेड सर्विस में शामिल हो रहे हैं।[In today’s globalised world, the strength of a nation is assessed to a great extent by the strength of its economy. We live in an increasingly integrated world where nations compete for a share of the global markets and trade. In this context, I congratulate those among you who are joining the Indian Trade Service.]
6. हालांकि, पिछले दो दशकों में हमारे देश ने, अपने व्यापार को बढ़ावा देने में, अच्छी प्रगति की है, फिर भी, अभी बहुत कुछ किया जाना बाकी है। ऐतिहासिक दृष्टि से देखें तो वैश्विक व्यापार में भारत का हिस्सा काफी बड़ा होता था। आज वैश्विक बाजार में हमारे देश की हिस्सेदारी लगभग 2 प्रतिशत की है। ऐसी स्थिति में ट्रेड सर्विस के अधिकारियों को यह सुनिश्चित करने की महत्वपूर्ण जिम्मेदारी भी निभानी होगी कि वैश्विक व्यापार व्यवस्था में हमारा देश,अपनी खोई हुई जगह फिर से प्राप्त कर सके। [While we have done quite well in promoting our trade in the past two decades, there is a lot more to be achieved. Historically, India had a substantial share in global trade. Today, our country’s share in global trade is around two per cent. The Officers of the Trade Service too have an important role in ensuring that our country regains its position in the global trade order. ]
7. Your role should no longer be that of trade regulation alone, but you should emerge as trade facilitators. With your knowledge of economics and nuances of trade operations you can bring further improvements in our trade negotiations, suggest trade friendly policies and initiate procedural simplifications that can facilitate trade.
Dear Officers,
8. All of us live in an Information Age. We are fortunate to be living in these times when information is no longer the preserve of the elite. Despite the Information Age, there is still a large segment of our population that lacks awareness about government programmes and welfare schemes from which they can benefit. We must ensure that information about these programmes and schemes reaches citizens living in the remotest of places and the smallest of villages. It is here that officers of the Indian Information Service play an important role. All of you will manage the Government of India’s public outreach and communication apparatus that is mandated to educate the people about the welfare schemes and policies of the Government.
9. I am happy to know that Information Service probationers get extensive training not only in traditional modes of communication such as Broadcast and Print but also in the new age tools of Social Media. It is for you to make government’s outreach and communication with people relevant, timely, practical and effective.
10. All of you are public servants. You are expected to serve the nation and its people with courage of conviction and devotion to duty. In whatever capacity you serve or whatever role you play, always do so in the spirit of public service – committed, transparent, accountable, efficient, responsive and professional. While discharging your duties, you must maintain the highest standards of integrity and discipline. I wish you all success in your career and happiness in your personal life.