NEW DELHI, July 29 : While addressing the new IAS officers of 2020 batch undergoing 3-month stint as Assistant Secretaries in the Govt of India, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today redefined their role for 2047.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invocation of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” Dr Jitendra Singh said, the next 25 years are critical for India because these will be the years of ascent of India’s ascent in the global arena. Therefore, the current lot of IAS officers is privileged because they have the time on their side and also the opportunity to devote the next 25 years of active service to realise the dream of Century India.
Reiterating that every training module for the current lot of civil servants needs to be designed with vision of 2047 in mind, the Minister said, it is difficult to visualise 2047 through the prism of 2022 and therefore, exclusive indices pertaining to 2047 India needs to be determined. How much will be the role of civil servant, what will be the role of civil servant and whether at all there will be any role of the civil servant in 2047, is the question, he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that this Assistant Secretary Training Programme was started in 2015 as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when 2013 batch officers were for the first time posted as Assistant Secretaries in Ministries/Departments of Government of India. The objective of this programme is to provide exposure to the young IAS officers about the functioning of the Government of India at an early stage in their career on completion of their Phase II training at LBSNAA, Mussoorie. These Assistant Secretaries are posted for a total period of 13 weeks.
The Minister informed that since 2015, the programme is successfully implemented by DoPT and added that this type of exposure helps them to acquire a national perspective and appreciation of diversities in national policies. This also sensitize them to the larger perspective of policies and programmes of Government of India and the officers are likely to be an inspired Change Agents when they will go back to their cadre States. Special themes were also included from 2019 and in that year Water Conservation, which was the one of the focus areas of the Government of India was added.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, Technology and innovation hold the key in addressing the gaps in delivery and implementation, but the basic prerequisites are dedication and commitment of the public servants with a pro-people attitude, which means being proactive as well as responsive to the citizens’ needs and aspirations while remaining mindful of the concerns. He said, we also need to build trust between the government and citizens as no society can prosper peacefully and attain its potential with a trust deficit existing between the government and citizens.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, he was informed that this batch of 175 officers has 108 officers with engineering background and many officers with background in medicine, management, law and Arts have also joined. He emphasised that it would be very much admirable if they utilise their educational background to showcase how the Ministries/Departments can innovate, use new ideas and deliver high quality outputs directly to citizen with complete elimination of middlemen and leakages. The Minister also hoped that the technocrats will be able to do justice to the flagship programmes of the government in sectors like Health, Agriculture, Sanitation, Education, Skills and Mobility to name a few, which are technology based and technology driven.
Lauding the role of Indian Institute of Public Administration, Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that IIPA is working as knowledge partner with different ministries and incorporated in their training and research activity, the latest trends and advancements in public governance and administration. This includes a) India@2047, a vision plan for a ‘future ready India’ that suits the 100th year of India’s independence; competency framework for the civil services under Mission Karmayogi which envisages to prepare civil servants for the future by making them more constructive, enabling, energetic, innovative, proactive, professional, progressive, transparent and technology enabled; Indian thoughts on good governance and new methods of governance like PM Gati Shakti which aims at the coordinated planning and execution of infrastructure projects in India to enhance efficiency and reduce logistics cost.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, Prime Minister has been emphasising on People’s participation as the essence of good governance through Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Viswas aur Sabka Prayas. So, trust is central to governance. He said, while one key to good governance is technology, the other essentially is moral standard. Technology fosters transparency and hence accountability, which is the basic feature of good governance, while moral standards impart legitimacy. These two together will usher in a new political culture preparing the ground for bringing in transformational, path-breaking reforms. The Minister said, gone are the days where we can afford to work in silos that had held us back for a long time. Today it is an all-encompassing, all-enveloping, all-inclusive and all-participating march toward development.
In his concluding remarks, Dr Jitendra Singh told the young civil servants that gaining knowledge from institutions like IIPA will help them to meet the various decision-making challenges, which they will face in the States and the Districts and conveyed his best wishes to officers in all their future endeavours.

NEW DELHI, July 29: The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking review of its order upholding the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) principle adopted by the Centre in its 2015 communication issued to the Chiefs of three defence forces, saying it neither suffers from any Constitutional infirmity nor is it arbitrary.
A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and Vikram Nath said there was no merit in the review petition.
“Application for listing the review petition in open Court is rejected. We have carefully gone through the review petition and the connected papers. We find no merit in the review petition and the same is accordingly dismissed,” the bench said.
The apex court on March 16 had upheld the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) principle adopted by the Centre.
It had said that the Bhagat Singh Koshyari committee report, tabled in the Rajya Sabha on December 10, 2011, furnishes the historical background, the reason for the demand, view of the Parliamentary Committee which proposed the adoption of OROP for personnel belonging to the armed forces and beyond this, the report cannot be construed as embodying a statement of Governmental policy.
It had held that Governmental policy formulated in terms of Article 73 by the Union or Article 162 by the State has to be authoritatively gauged from the policy documents of the government, which in present case is the communication dated November 7, 2015.
The top court’s verdict had come on the plea filed by the Indian Ex-servicemen Movement (IESM) through advocate Balaji Srinivasan against the Centre’s formula of OROP. (Agencies)

 Jul 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday called on President Droupadi Murmu as ruling BJP and Congress continued to lock horns over a comment by a leader of the opposition party in the parliament.
What transpired in the meeting between the home minister and the President is not known immediately.
Called on Adarneeya Rashtrapati, Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji. @rashtrapatibhvn, Shah tweeted.
Parliament proceedings were disrupted for the second consecutive day on Friday due to protests and counter protests over Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary’s terming President Droupadi Murmu as Rashtrapatni.’
On Thursday, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Nirmala Sitharaman led the charge in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively against Congress.
Irani on Thursday had also demanded an apology from Congress President Sonia Gandhi for Chowdhary’s remark, leading to vociferous protests from the opposition members and counter-protests from treasury benches.
Both houses could not function on Thursday and Friday properly due to the pandemonium.
There was also a face-off between Gandhi and Irani during an interval on Thursday, inviting allegations and counter-allegations from both sides. (Agencies)

Congratulating the students of Anna University, Chennai who are graduating today, July 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that whole world is looking at the India’s youth with hope as they are the growth engines not only of the country but as well as the world. “The whole world is looking at India’s youth with hope. Because you are the growth engine of the country and India is the world’s growth engine. This is a huge honour and responsibility on all of you,” the prime minister said at the 42nd Convocation of the university.

The prime minister also congratulated the parents and teachers of the students who had graduated today. “You would have already built a future for yourselves in your minds. Therefore, today is not only a day of achievements but also of aspirations,” said the prime minister.

During the programme, the prime minister awarded gold medals and certificates to 69 students. “We are graduating at a unique time. Some will call it a time of uncertainty but I will call it a time of opportunity. The global pandemic tested every country. Adversities reveal what we are made of. India faced the unknown confidently, thanks to its scientists, healthcare workers and common people. Due to this India is at the forefront. Our industry is in the forefront,” he said.

The prime minister recalled former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam for his association with Anna University. “May his thoughts and values always inspire you”, said PM Narendra Modi. Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and Chief Minister MK Stalin were also attended the convocation ceremony.