NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked IAS probationers to keep public interest foremost while discharging their official duties and responsibilities and said the officers should judge themselves by what difference they made to the life the poor.
He also said the assured career path should not make the IAS officers complacent.
"They should judge themselves not by the posts they hold but by what difference they have been able to make in the lives of the poor," an official release said quoting Modi.
He was addressing 183 probationers, including 3 from the Bhutan Civil Service, who called on him today.
The Prime Minister said many of the services offered by government today are also offered by the private sector and emphasised that officers handling such services in the government should judge the quality of their service using the yardstick of the best in that category and even by international standards.
In response to a question on the development of the North-East and ending the sense of alienation in the region, the Prime Minister said that the core problem is not with policy (neeti) but with practice (reeti).
He said at times, officers from other parts of the country even tried to avoid a posting in the North-East.
Modi emphasised the need for infrastructure development in the North-East to improve accessibility and connectivity with other parts of India. "Once infrastructure develops, the North-East will be able to progress," he said.
Responding to another question on defence preparedness, the PM said a multi-pronged approach is essential, which involves good relations with all neighbouring countries and a boost to domestic defence manufacturing capabilities.