ADDRESS BY THE HON’BLE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SMT. DROUPADI MURMU ON THE OCCASION OF CALL ON BY PROBATIONERS OF VARIOUS SERVICES OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

Dear probationers of various services of Indian Railways,

I take this opportunity to welcome you to Rashtrapati Bhavan. I congratulate all of you for your selection in various services of Indian Railways. It is through a lot of hard work and determination that you have charted your career paths. Now that you will be serving in important positions in the Indian Railways, I will call upon you to understand the great significance that your organisation bears on our social life.

It is always a delight to listen to the training experiences and to understand the perspective of the young officers. I have met and interacted with probationers of many services. One thing that is common among all our young officers is that they are bright, vibrant, multi-talented, full of new ideas and committed to take the country to greater heights.

Dear officers,

Indian Railways, as we all know, is the lifeline of the nation. Millions of passengers daily reach their destinations through the trains. Apart from being the employer of lakhs of people, it is also the carrier of dreams and aspirations of millions. At the same time, the Indian Railways is the backbone of not just the Indian economy but also of India’s unity and socio-cultural diversity. It is the responsibility of the young officers like you to carry forward the rich legacy of the railway ecosystem and strive to make Indian Railways the provider of best quality services in the world.

During your training, I understand that you already have gained knowledge and skills related to your respective domains. I would like to emphasise few important points. Technology is the driving force in all fields today. For Indian Railways which caters to the needs and demands of millions of people every day and transports millions of tonnes of freight every month, harnessing technology to the best extent possible is a must. I am happy to know that Indian Railways have shown excellence in administrative and technical fields by being innovative and adaptive. Its initiatives such as railway electrification, increased freight loading and revenues and the development of indigenous semi-high speed trains are steps in this direction.

I am also happy to know that Indian Railways is collaborating with other organisations and agencies to provide a seamless end-to-end service to the customers. I am glad that Indian Railways have set-up the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, which is a “first of its kind” Central University in the country that focuses exclusively on transport and logistics sectors. I am confident that this university will create a pool of best professionals in engineering, transport economics, supply-chain management and other fields.

Dear young officers,

You have joined service at a time when India is playing a role more significant than ever in global affairs and showing the path to the world in many areas. You have to contribute in charting a new path in technological advancement of the country by devising new applications and systems for people-friendly and eco-friendly transportation system.

People who travel in trains carry with them the memories of their journeys. India has always followed the tradition of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ which resonated with the world leaders also during the just concluded G20 summit. I urge you all to treat the customers, especially the passengers as your guests and provide the best service and best experience that they can cherish. You must work towards increasing facilities for the senior citizens and differently-abled. I would also like to underline the need to ensure safety of passengers by all means. With the advanced technology and Artificial Intelligence-based-applications, efficient and fool proof systems should be designed giving utmost priority to rail safety.

I am happy to know that Indian Railways has taken several green initiatives including electrification of railways, improving energy efficiency, acquiring green certification for stations/installations and switching to renewable sources of energy. I am sure that you, young officers, will be the real drivers of all these initiatives and will ensure their timely implementation to achieve the goal of green railways and sustainable transportation system.

In the end, I wish you all the success in your future endeavours. May you bring glory to your service and the nation!

Thank you! 
Jai Hind! 
Jai Bharat!