DEHRADUN: Women constitute nearly 41 per cent of the 2024 IAS batch, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan said on Thursday, calling their growing representation in the civil services an impressive testimony to Nari Shakti.
Addressing the valedictory ceremony of Phase II training for the 2024 batch of IAS officer trainees at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, Radhakrishnan said talent rises above stereotypes and determination helps individuals overcome barriers.
He urged the young officers to ensure that development initiatives reach the most disadvantaged citizens and said inclusive governance would be crucial to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.
He asked the officers to make “a spirit of service and a sense of duty” their guiding principles throughout their careers.
“Every development effort must benefit the person standing at the farthest end of society. Development can be meaningful only when it is inclusive,” he said.
Radhakrishnan stressed the importance of teamwork and asked the officers to build strong, coordinated teams, inspire colleagues and carry forward effective administrative practices established by their predecessors.
“True administrative success lies not in individual brilliance but in the ability to bring people together and deliver as a team,” he said.
He also urged the trainee officers to use emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, natural language processing, machine learning and blockchain, to improve the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of public services.
Stressing continuous learning, Radhakrishnan said civil servants must remain adaptable and prepare for rapidly changing administrative and technological challenges.
He described character and integrity as the cornerstones of public service and said leadership should be measured not by authority or position but by the courage to act ethically, particularly in difficult circumstances.
“True leadership is demonstrated by doing what is right even when circumstances are challenging,” he said.
Concluding his address, Radhakrishnan asked the officers to make their careers meaningful by improving lives in the country's remotest regions and urged them to build an administration in which “every grievance is heard and every citizen is empowered”.
Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retd), Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Sainik Welfare Minister Ganesh Joshi, and LBSNAA Director B Rajendra were among those present at the ceremony.