New Delhi, The role of civil services has been evolving over the years and today’s governance demands collaboration more than hierarchy, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, P K Mishra, said on Thursday.
Addressing the plenary session of UPSC’s 'Shatabdi Sammelan' programme here, Mishra said that before Independence, and immediately thereafter, administration was mostly limited to maintaining law and order and collecting revenue.
He said that the role of civil services has been evolving over the years.
The emergence of technology, urbanisation, climate challenges, and frequent disasters has reshaped the responsibilities of civil servants, and "today’s governance demands collaboration more than hierarchy", said the top official in the Prime Minister's Office .
He said that over the last decade, there has been a radically different transition.
Mishra highlighted that expectations have shifted from process compliance to outcome delivery, from incremental improvement to accelerated transformation, from siloed government departments to interoperable digital infrastructure, and from a State that delivers to citizens to a State that partners with citizens through Jan Bhagidari.
He underscored that this shift is visible across sectors such as digital payments, social protection, health, infrastructure, logistics, skilling, taxation, urban governance, and rural development. It is now extending into frontier areas where India seeks global leadership, including quantum technologies, space innovation, and the blue and green economies, he added.
{{/usCountry}}He underscored that this shift is visible across sectors such as digital payments, social protection, health, infrastructure, logistics, skilling, taxation, urban governance, and rural development. It is now extending into frontier areas where India seeks global leadership, including quantum technologies, space innovation, and the blue and green economies, he added.
{{/usCountry}}Mishra said that India stands at an inflection point in its journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
He also said that civil servants are managers of uncertainty, interpreters of complexity, and guardians of India’s strategic interests, and their readiness must begin with how they are selected.
The top PMO official said that the pace of technological change has outstripped regulatory adaptation and that "success must be measured by outcomes, accountability, experimentation, and actual change on the ground".
He emphasised that the Union Public Service Commission , which conducts civil services examination, must select individuals with judgment, flexibility, and lifelong learning capacity.
Mishra said India’s civil services must remain magnets for the best minds.
He highlighted that aspirational youth, globally exposed and ambitious, seek purpose, autonomy, challenge, and impact, and civil services must communicate these qualities more actively and clearly.
Mishra also highlighted the UPSC's Pratibha Setu portal, which securely connects talented candidates who reached the final exam stage with potential employers, linked to the National Career Service, thereby opening new opportunities for youth.
In his concluding remarks, he said that officers must think across domains, operate across sectors, and anchor their work in humility, integrity, and purpose.
Mishra also remarked that they must engage with data as confidently as with people, balance ethical judgment with administrative competence, and remain continuous learners even as they lead.
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