Recently, Vice-President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan hosted an interaction with officer trainees of the Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service at the Vice-President’s Enclave. The officers, who were presently undergoing a Special Foundation Course at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration, were guided in leadership, ethics and the new challenges of governance.
The vice president recalled the “Iron Man of India,” claiming that while Otto von Bismarck managed to unite a linguistically similar Germany, Sardar Patel achieved the far more complex feat of uniting a diverse India. He credited Patel with the integration of princely states and the visionary establishment of the All India Services, serving as the backbone of the nation’s administration.
While the nation is on its way to achieving Viksit Bharat 2047, the vice president encouraged the officers to take the “Bhagavad Gita’s mantra for our times”. He reiterated the necessity of following the path of Karma, working dedicatedly on what is assigned within Karma and sticking by their “Dharma” or “righteousness”.
For a responsive administration, it is important that files and cases be disposed of on time so as to avoid administrative stagnation, according to the vice-president, who emphasised the effective utilisation of technology for improved efficiency and effectiveness in the execution of public services in a modernising India.
While citing examples of legendary parliamentarians such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said that keeping in mind that respect in the citizenry is earned on the basis of the quality of one’s contributions and not on the basis of one’s strong social media presence is of utmost importance. Listening to people’s grievances can solve a major part of the problem.
Responding to the issue of misinformation and negative reporting, the vice-president exhorted the officers to propagate positive and constructive reporting on governance stories. To this end, he emphasised high social responsibility for content to be posted on social media and advocated for proactive steps to ensure responsible online behaviour among everyone.
