New Delhi, Apr 21: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today said that the civil service has contributed positively to the functioning of a vibrant democracy, plural society and polity and growing economy, and added that “if inclusive growth is our agenda, there could be no better champions for it than our civil service.”

After inaugurating the third Civil Services Day here, Dr. Singh said: “In the quest to build a modern nation, absorbing the best from the outside world, epitomizing Gandhiji’s vision of an inclusive society, the civil services have played an admirable role.”

“If we have been able to deepen democracy through empowerment of local government and broaden it through civil society action because of the civil services have been supportive of all these creative initiatives,” he added

Complimenting the civil services for their contribution in nation building processes, Dr. Singh said, “Professional civil services have made a signal contribution by ensuring free and fair elections time and again. The regularity and efficiency of our electoral process have become the envy of many developed democracies, and inspire many other societies to also demand democracy for their people.”

Describing the versatility of the civil services, he further said, “The same service is able to address challenges facing us today like for accelerating the pace of growth and also for making the growth process inclusive. The former calls for economic modernization and liberalisation, for making government less intrusive and more transparent, while the latter calls for greater attention being paid to public service delivery systems, in areas like education, health care, urban and rural infrastructure and services, and employment generation.”

Pointing that the civil services require a renewed commitment to knowledge, he said, “We live in a knowledge-based society. We must therefore invest more in opportunities that enhance the knowledge base of our civil services. The explosion of knowledge and revolution in communication should be better utilized to address the tasks at hand.”

“Good governance is not merely about more efficient management of organizations, but also about humane and ethical management. Such a commitment is vital to the success of our strategy of promoting ‘inclusive growth’,” he added.

Taking note of some apprehensions expressed about the recent sixth pay commission report, the Prime Minister said, “The Government has already set in motion a mechanism for hearing and redressing these grievances. I would like Civil and Defence Services to be properly rewarded. Improved conditions of work must go hand in hand with improvement in work on the ground. Given Government's deep commitment towards the welfare of all its employees equally, I would also expect the highest standards of discipline and decorum from our Civil Servants.” (ANI)