Instruments of change.... Civil Service Day Celebrations

Instruments of change....
Civil Service Day Celebrations

21st April is celebrated as Civil Services Day by civil servants every year to introspect, rededicate and recommit ourselves to the cause of the people. It also gives us the opportunity to think afresh about the future strategies and plan for the changing times.
Awards are rendered to officers of Central and State Governments on this day and they are honoured by the Hon"ble Prime Minister of India for Excellence in Public Administration.
The award includes a medal, scroll and a cash amount of ₹100,000. In case of a group, the total award money is ₹500,000  subject to a maximum of ₹100,000 per person. For an organisation the cash amount is limited to ₹500,000.
I had the opportunity to attend the Civil Services Day celebrations at the Office of Divisional Commissioner, Konkan Division thanks to the invitation by my colleague.
Twenty-five years ago, we had begun our journey together as civil servants with dreams in our eyes. We all were certainly awed immensely by the power and authority one's position could wield.
It was in the same hall that the then Divisonal Commissioner, revered and late Mr.Rameshchandra Kanade had introduced us to the lofty ideals of being in the service.
The world "civil servant" actually stood for serving the common man. Our task was to reach out to them, dedicate ourselves completely to their cause and do our best while ensuring transparency.
Our probation period in Sindhudurg made us realise the complexities of administration and grounded us. We realised that the various positions of powers came with responsibilities to accomplish the tasks assigned to us.
Much of the awe associated with the service was due to the British legacy of the ICS which being the premier service made officers consider themselves"burrah sahibs".
The Indian Civil Service as it was known then brings forth visuals of a sahib riding on a horse with breeches moving with their tents. The horses and breeches have dissapeared ( except at the LBSNAA) and also the beacon lights on the cars.
Civil servants continue to be the steel frame responsible for execution of policies.
The Civil Service Day celebrations was an opportunity to look back and savour the fruits of our labour as it was also the time for awarding the officers at the district, state and national level.
I had the opportunity to witness the live telecast of the Prime Minister's award for excellence in Public Administraion. The zeal and anticipated excitement of Vigyan Bhavan was reflecting on our faces too as two officers from our state were to receive the award. And so we waited with baited breathes.
The awards were for priority sectors of housing, insurance, skilling, digital payments, innovations and for ease of doing business. They highlighted the positive approach of the government and the efforts being made for the growth of India.
Homes for the homeless, along with toilets and a gas connection is the mission and vision of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Rural and Urban.
The award for PMAY-Rural was given to Kangra, Himachal Pradesh and Neemuch, MP and the PMAY Urban to Puducherry and Hyderabad for giving joy of constructing new homes to maximum people in the target group.
Agriculture is always vulnerable to vagaries of nature. Farmers have to face innumerable hardships on loss of crops .The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, is designed to insure crops against the vagaries of nature.
While West Tripura bagged an award for motivating farmers through IEC for crop insurance, DM Beed, Shri. Devendra Singh and his SAO received it for their excellent work in Maharashtra. The clipping played before the award flashed the joyful face of a farmer who had received an insured amount of Rs.10,000/- on failure of crop by paying a premium of Rs.256 only.
Skilling is the talisman of the day to ensure self-reliance, sustainable livelihood and prosperity. The Deendayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana- DDUGKY is one such scheme which provides state of art residential training to rural youth for employment. It lays emphasis on training and placement. Telangana and Assam bagged this award.
Ensuring transparency and enabling e-payments has been a dream of the government. Bishnupur district in Manipur received the award for promoting digital payments by using the Bhim app..
The cashless sabzi mandi in Sonipat, Haryana bagged the award for its exemplary work in using digital payments. The Union Territory of Daman also received the award for digital payments.
Bihar's Unnayan Banka -mobile app, Mera mobile, Mera Vidyalay which connected students with teachers and and added value to learning won the award for innovation.
Team GST received the award for innovative implementation of the GST. Marching along with the team came Mr.RajivJalota, Commissioner, Commercial Tax, Maharashtra bringing another laurel for the state.
It was a jubilous day for Maharashtra and we were all smiles.
In his presidential address the Hon"ble Prime Minister appreciated and congratulated the awardees. He took pride in the fact that the nation as a whole was reflecting positivity. Believing in the self and the country was the first step in taking the country forward. Appreciation of hard work and success was a must and the awards were a step in that direction. They would also be a motivation and inspiration for others. He also emphasised on introspection by civil servants, the progress made by them, and the support to the common man. It was within us to change the world. As individuals we had to channelise our energies and make significant efforts specially as human beings. Each one of us has some innate qualities and nobody was "nikkamma", or "good for nothing".
We needed to kindle the lamp within us and motivate ourselves to be leaders in our own way. His focus was on proper planning and all round development specially of the backward districts. The 115 aspirational districts were a step in that direction. They had to be nurtured with proper planning and would become growth centres for the entire nation.
He also stressed on public participation or jan bhaagidaari. He asserted on the use of technology for improving governance and felt it is important for civil servants to keep pace with emerging technologies worldwide. He said 2022, the seventy-fifth anniversary of independence, could inspire us for achieving the India of the dreams of our freedom fighters. 
To him civil servants were officers with great capability which could be used to garner benefits for the nation.
As his speech came to an end my heart was full.of emotions and mind with ideas. Each one of us had joined the civil service with aims and aspirations of being instruments of change. The song was one but the instruments used and the melody created were different. Every officer adds tangible substance to the innumerable schemes and programmes of the government but enthusiasm and positivity have to be the hallmarks. Our march towards the ultimate goal of development of the country is definitely dependant on us being the instruments of change.