India, May 29 -- The Government of India issued the following news release:
Good afternoon, all of you.
Being with you for my wife and me is optimal utilisation of time. We are therefore grateful for your gracious presence with this confidence, cheerfulness and giving us assurance that India's future is bright.
Dr. Saurabh Garg, a senior IAS officer, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, a critical ministry, a man who loves to grab innovation, takes strides in new areas with methodical approach and I'm sure under his leadership this very important Ministry which at this juncture is having very critical role will help the Nation evolve policies that can take this country Bharat, home to one-sixth of humanity, to the status of Viksit Bharat at 2047, if not earlier.
Shri P.R. Meshram, Director General, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, has an equally critical role. Officials of the Ministry, Indian Statistical Service Probationers batch 2024 and 2025, you will be called a very important batch associated with Amrit Kaal, associated with the 75th celebration of the adoption of the Indian Constitution, and I therefore take it as a privilege for the position I hold to share my thoughts with you all.
I must first take note of anchor Riya. She will always have a role to play, and Soniya Mishra and Mridul Maheshwari, respectively belonging to the 2024 batch of probationers and the 2025 batch of probationers, were very articulate. One in English, the other in Hindi.
Let me, at the outset, tell you something very important. India is uniquely positioned in the world when it comes to languages. We have multiple languages that make us proud. Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bangla, Sanskrit, Hindi, several languages, I forget some. Eight of them are classical languages. Our languages generate unity. Some of them have a global impact. Their literature is a goldmine of knowledge. Our inclusivity is reflected in our languages, and if you go to the constitutional scheme of things, it is provided in the Constitution that for official work, there will be a progressive decline in the use of the English language and a similarly incremental trajectory for Hindi.
Our National Education Policy stands out for giving primacy to the mother tongue. Technical subjects like medicine and engineering, the education is now being imparted in the vernacular. Our languages are our spinal strength. Our languages can never be a source of divisiveness. Our languages are a unifying force. I appeal to everyone in the country to have a soothing approach with wholesome motivation to this fundamental cultural aspect of our nation. If you go to any part of this country, the language of that particular region is mellifluous, impressive, and that is why you'll find, in recent times in particular, recognition has been given to scholars of various languages. We have amongst the probationers .
I recall Tashika for a good reason. She is the daughter of Siddharth, who is helping the Rajya Sabha Secretariat significantly, but more importantly, a programme which was initiated by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat during my tenure, Rajya Sabha Internship Programme.
Boys and girls, it gives me immense pleasure to meet probationers. They are drawn from several services. There was a time when some services held primacy and some services were not so recognised. But now I find all services are occupying public space, contributing equitably. You can take pride in being part of a bureaucracy that will drive a population of 1.4 billion, and more importantly, that population belongs to the oldest, largest, and most dynamic democracy on the planet. I therefore congratulate you on your selection in this prestigious service, and you know it more than I do. It was rigorous. It was challenging. It was a tough competition. You made it. You made your parents proud. You glorified your teachers and alma mater. You know that.
Can you imagine for a moment the satisfaction in your families when you got into this service? That defines where you are. You have to live up to the highest standards of Indian bureaucracy. You have to exemplify your conduct all throughout with transparency, integrity, and accountability. However tempting the allurements may be, you must never take shortcuts. Shortcuts in times of need, in dire need, are the longest distance between two points. Only on paper is the shortest distance. Taking a shortcut means you are activating four lines of law. You are engaging in transgressions. You will have good health if you believe in integrity and remain totally committed to serving the nation. In the vast canvas of India's progress, civil servants function as the silent yet formidable architects contributing to the socio-economic development and progress of our dynamic nation. Thanks to the vision of the Prime Minister, his mission, the execution has taken place in the bureaucracy.
The performance of our bureaucracy will always be optimal if the political leadership is in the right framework, with the right policies. We are living in those times where the political framework is indicating hope and optimism. We are on the right path. And that is why India is a nation at the moment with an unprecedented economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructure growth. This is a mix of political vision and bureaucratic execution. I therefore say that India takes pride in its bureaucracy. It is the finest in the world. That is why our aspirations get fortified. This service, your service, has a rich legacy of nation-building.
You are part of a very distinguished cadre that has played a vital role in shaping evidence-based policy and governance in our country. It is very difficult to find a thing when the room is dark. If the room is dimly lit, it will strain your eyes, but if it is well lit, the task is easier. Connecting with your destination is seamless. This is what you shall be doing for the rest of your life: changing our lives, including myself.
It is a service that will give you immense opportunities to serve the country, but you will continue to learn new things when you apply it to your work. That will be a great revolution. You will come to know Bharat like no one else. And the kind of input you will get and you will share, and that will be analysed, will lead to great results. Therefore, during your career, as you go up the ladder, you will be serving in multiple ways. Each one of them will be critical for the nation.
The role of this service has never been so critical and important as in the present times. Never! India now takes pride in being the most populous country in the world. For the last decade, India can legitimately be proud because it has been accoladed by institutions like the IMF and the World Bank. Therefore a decade, India has been in terms of economic growth at number one amongst large economies. People, for the first time, have tasted development. People-centric policies have reached the last person. A gas connection in the house, a tap connection, a toilet, internet, a road close by, and easy accessibility to the railroad. That being the situation, a health centre close by, an education centre close by.
During my time and during the time of Mr. Garg, we never had that good. So, people have now tasted development. This has converted India into the most aspirational nation on the planet. And its youth demographic dividend is the envy of the world. Your dividend. The median age is 28. For the US and China, it is around 38, 39. When a nation is aspirational, there is always potential for people to be restive, to engage in restlessness. Having tasted freedom as never before, they want more.
Therefore, it is imperative that the Government delivers. Now, the Government can deliver only by right policies. The right policies have to be firm on data. Their data, you are the custodians. After the data is made available, you are the sharp postdocs of its analysis. Your contribution, therefore, will strengthen the backbone of our economy. It will advance our social equity and ensure that the most marginalised voices are heard and represented in our national discourse. Democracy has meaning only when there is equality all around in every aspect, and that requires inequities to be curtailed, curbed, and finally decimated. For that, it is vital to notice where the inequality is that requires addressing. Your role is fundamental.
Statistics is the science of learning from data. Statistical tools and quantitative techniques are essential to effective governance because governance ultimately has to be optimally performing. You perform optimally when you are in the right course. You can be on the right course only if you know which area has to be attended, and that is your job. You, therefore, provide a solid empirical foundation for informed policy decisions.
(Omitted Hindi content can be viewed at https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2132360 )
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
