NEW DELHI, Apr 20: In a thought-provoking interaction with the Officer Trainees (OTs) of the 2023 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) batch, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy, and Space, lauded the record representation of women in the batch. With 74 women officers constituting 41 percent of the current batch of 180, this marks the highest ever participation of women in the history of the IAS.
The session, part of the ongoing Assistant Secretary programme, provided the IAS Officer Trainees with early exposure to policy formulation and the workings of Central Government. The programme, running from April 1 to May 30, 2025, places the Officer Trainees with 46 Central Ministries for eight weeks, offering them a first-hand look at real-time governance.
Dr. Singh attributed this landmark development to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, highlighting his unwavering support for women-led initiatives. “Prime Minister Modi has always been a champion of women empowerment. This significant increase in women officers in the IAS is a direct reflection of his commitment to inclusive governance,” the Minister remarked.
Reflecting on the Assistant Secretary programme, which was launched in 2015 by Prime Minister Modi, Dr. Singh explained how it has provided young officers with vital exposure at the start of their careers. “The programme has boosted the confidence of our officers, with many performing admirably during the pandemic’s district-level crisis management,” Dr. Singh added.
As the initiative celebrates its 10th anniversary, the Minister noted its positive impact on nurturing capable and confident civil servants, and the increasing representation from regions such as Punjab, Haryana, and the North-East, which were previously underrepresented.
Dr. Singh also praised the academic and professional diversity within the batch, mentioning that 99 officers have engineering backgrounds, with many others coming from medicine and other technical fields. “For years, I wondered why technocrats joined the civil services. Now, I see that the technical nature of flagship government programmes, like Digital India and Smart Cities, makes their presence invaluable,” he stated.
He expressed pride in the young average age of the batch (22–26 years), which allows for a long career span to contribute to the nation’s progress. Dr. Singh urged the trainees to stay ahead of the curve by leveraging digital platforms such as the iGOT Karmayogi, which provides continuously updated capacity-building modules.
“You are fortunate to be in the best of times, as India rapidly moves towards becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he emphasized.
Dr. Singh also shared his vision for a dynamic and flexible civil service ecosystem, where officers could gain exposure outside the government for a few years and return as domain specialists—an idea he described as a “win-win for both the officer and the government.”
Addressing the digital divide, Dr. Singh lauded technology as a great equalizer, citing the Swamitva Mission, which leverages drone-based property mapping to decentralize land record access and service delivery. “Technology is democratizing governance and decentralizing service delivery at the grassroots level,” he added.
He further emphasized the importance of effective grievance redressal mechanisms, pointing to the CPGRAMS platform as a global benchmark. “Nearly 26 lakh grievances have been disposed of with a 98% resolution rate, most within 13 days,” Dr. Singh stated. However, he reminded the Officer Trainees that technology must be complemented by human intelligence and empathy. “While grievances may be resolved technically, emotional satisfaction is also key. This is why we’ve created a ‘human desk’ to provide emotional closure,” he remarked.
In a touching moment, one of the Officer Trainees quoted Dr. Singh’s past speech, “One retires from service, not from citizenship.” Responding, Dr. Singh spoke about the Digital Repository of Expertise, which allows retired civil servants to continue contributing their knowledge. He also highlighted the Anubhav Awards, which encourage retiring officers to document their experiences for the benefit of future generations.
As the interaction concluded, Dr. Jitendra Singh urged the young officers to uphold the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and service, emphasizing the spirit of Antyodaya—working for the last man standing.
“This batch of IAS officers is not only the youngest and most diverse but also the most representative of New India’s aspirations. Let your work reflect the hopes of a billion people,” said Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister.
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