Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik advised the Civil Servants to act with accountability, integrity and sincerity by keeping the citizen satisfaction as utmost priority following the principles of 5T and to work towards empowering the person at the last mile.
He was addressing the Civil Services Day Celebrations held at the Convention Hall, Lokaseva Bhawan, today organized by Gopabandhu Academy of Administration, for the first time in the State.
As the Chief guest of the occasion he greeted all the Officers of Civil Services of the State for their dedication, commitment and contribution in making Odisha a progressive State.
Chief Minister said, ‘According to our Constitution, “Citizens are the fundamental building blocks of our country, and as such, they must be the focal point of governance. The goal of our government is to promote the welfare of our citizens, in a transparent, accountable, and responsive manner. I have been emphasizing on “Transformative Governance” which is primarily aimed to bring about fundamental changes in the system and society by addressing the root causes of issues rather than just treating the symptoms’.
CM also said, in Odisha, the approach of civil services has been improving, both in terms of attitudinal change and adapting to new technologies making them more responsive, accountable, and efficient. Our initiatives of 5T and Mo Sarkar are aimed to bring about real transformation in people’s perception of Governance.
While, Civil Services were traditionally structured in a top-down approach, this approach is being increasingly replaced with growing recognition for more citizen-centric governance. This shift is being driven by factors, such as advances technology, changing public expectations, and the recognition that citizens are the ultimate beneficiaries of governance. Our government has been emphasizing the need for a more citizen-centric and outcome-oriented approach to governance.
The government has also been promoting greater collaboration between different departments and stakeholders, as well as leveraging technology and data analytics to improve decision-making and service delivery. Our aim of “transformative governance” shall fructify when civil servants appreciate that in changing times, there is an urgent need for shift in the mind-set and culture of the civil services towards being more proactive, creative, and flexible, CM added.
Raj Kumar Sharma, Director General, Gopabandhu Academy of Administration, gave the welcome address and set the context for the celebration of the Civil Services Day – 2023 in Odisha.
Chief Speaker, Amarjeet Sinha, IAS (R) – an eminent and celebrated civil servant of the country gave a special talk on “Preparing the Civil Services for Transformative Governance’.
He spoke very high about the growth and achievements of the State in the recent years, and mentioned about the administrative reforms through the ‘5T’ initiatives, effective disaster managements, Mission Shakti, sports sector successes, and MSME policy of 2022, etc.
He also urged the State Government to invest on its human capital for faster development and bridge the historical development divide. The address was followed by an interactive session moderated by Anu Garg, Development Commissioner.
Pradeep Kumar Jena, Chief Secretary, Odisha, gave the concluding remarks and vote of thanks. He praised Shri Sharma, DG Gopabandhu Academy of Administration for organizing such an important event for the first time in the State.
He suggested the Academy to make it an annual event. While acknowledging the hard work and efforts of the officers of all civil services of the State, he emphasized on adherence of ‘5T’ model which would lead to enhance the quality of life of each citizen of the State.
He narrated Odisha’s journey from 1999 Super Cyclone where 10,000 deaths were reported to zero casualty in disasters of high magnitude in the recent years. He reiterated the messages of the honorable Chief Minister to ensure a citizen centric governance.
Sunil Bansal, DG Police, and Debidutta Biswal, PCCF graced the occasion as the Guests of Honour.
