Dr Jitendra Singh Urges IAS Officers to Drive Citizen-Centric Governance

Dr Singh said every state presents unique governance challenges shaped by its geography, culture, language and development priorities.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr. Jitendra Singh has urged Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers to embrace continuous learning, adaptive leadership and the exchange of successful governance practices to strengthen public administration across the country. He was addressing the valedictory session of the 21st Round of the Phase-IV Mid-Career Training Programme at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie.

The four-week programme, held from 15 June to 10 July, brought together 51 IAS officers with more than 14 years of administrative experience under Mission Karmayogi. Participants represented different state cadres and governance sectors, creating an opportunity to learn from diverse administrative experiences. Rather than delivering a formal speech, the minister chose to engage in direct interaction with the officers, encouraging them to contribute their own insights and practical experiences to strengthen future governance reforms and civil services training.

India's diversity should become an administrative strength

Dr Singh said every state presents unique governance challenges shaped by its geography, culture, language and development priorities. He encouraged officers to actively share innovative solutions developed in their respective cadres so that successful practices can be adapted across the country, turning India's diversity into a source of administrative strength.

Referring to Mission Karmayogi, he said the programme has transformed civil services capacity building by shifting the focus from rule-based administration to role-based governance. The iGOT Karmayogi platform, he added, has created opportunities for government officials to continuously upgrade their knowledge and skills in response to changing governance needs.

The minister also highlighted several governance reforms introduced over the past decade, including Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Digital Public Infrastructure, the JAM Trinity and the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS). He said these initiatives have improved transparency, efficiency and public service delivery while helping generate savings of more than ₹3.4 lakh crore through DBT by reducing leakages.

Technology and human sensitivity must work together

Dr Singh said India is emerging as a leader in frontier technologies through initiatives such as the National Quantum Mission, the expansion of the startup ecosystem, private participation in the space sector and reforms in the nuclear sector. He noted that innovation grows faster when the government acts as an enabler while creating an environment that encourages enterprise and technological development.

At the same time, he stressed that governance reforms should always combine technological progress with compassion and public welfare. He cited recent personnel reforms, including greater flexibility in family pension nominations, expanded maternity-related benefits and improved family pension provisions, as examples of a more citizen-focused approach.

The minister also called for modernising civil services training through greater institutional collaboration, wider faculty participation, structured feedback systems and stronger communication skills for administrators. Concluding the session, he expressed confidence that the officers would promote innovation, strengthen cooperation between states and carry forward the values of citizen-centric governance and lifelong learning as India works towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.