Address by the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu on the Occasion of Call on by the Officer Trainees of Indian Defence Estates Service, Indian Telecom Services, Indian Skill Development Service and Indian Trade Service

I am very pleased to interact with the young officers and trainees of Indian Defence Estates Service, Indian Telecom Service, Indian Skill Development Service and Indian Trade Service.

I congratulate all of you for successfully clearing the prestigious competitive examinations conducted by UPSC, and also completing a substantial part of your training. I am told that some of you have already completed your training and are posted as officers.

Dear young officers,

I am told that your groups comprise officers from diverse social, economic and cultural backgrounds, representing India’s ‘unity in diversity’. After becoming a part of the respective services, your primary aim should be to serve the nation and its people with utmost sincerity.

In your journey as public servants, you will get opportunities to bring about changes. Such changes can transform the lives of our people. If you pursue the path of serving the people, I am sure, you will earn a great deal of satisfaction from your job.

Dear officer trainees of Indian Defence Estates Service,

You may be knowing that the Directorate General of Defence Estates is the largest land holding agency under the Government of India. Besides managing this enormous resource, as officers of IDES, you have the responsibility of municipal administration of the cantonments across the length and breadth of the country.

I am told that, technologies like satellite imagery, geo-spatial techniques and Artificial Intelligence, have already been adopted for management of defence estates. Introduction of such initiatives is a step in the right direction. Technology has to be utilized to the maximum possible extent for effective administration of the cantonments.

Dear officer trainees of Indian Telecom Service,

Technology has an even more central role to play in your career. India has undergone a telecom revolution during the last two decades. The launch of mobile telephony and faster internet network in India have enabled the country to tap its vast digital potential. It is important for us to have the best quality telecom and internet services in order to achieve the status of a developed country.

In this background, the role of officers of Indian Telecom Services is very important. The domain of your assignment would include sensitive aspects like maintaining the security of telecom networks, communication intelligence, issuing and compliance of licenses and other such functions. As we shift towards 5G Mobile telephony, the leaps in the technological advancements and its implementation are going to be swift. It is your responsibility to keep abreast with these developments. Also, you should always remember the under-privileged sections of the society in the remote corners of the country. Your services can directly connect them to the mainstream, by providing them access and connectivity. The recent success of Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and mobile connectivity, called JAM trinity, has been made possible through technology.

Dear officers of Indian Skill Development Service,

In order to benefit from our demographic dividend, our huge human resources need to be adequately skilled. This calls for special efforts from all of you.

Skilling our people is critical as it would make our working-age population productive, and help in development of our country. I am sure that young officers like you will be instrumental in encouraging the skill-ecosystem, with your fresh approach and thinking.

Dear young probationers of Indian Trade Service,

This is an exciting time to join your service. The Indian growth story today is very promising. As per a recent report of International Monetary Fund, India has become the fifth largest economy of the world. As we aim to become a five trillion-dollar economy, we look forward to young officers like you playing a significant role. The disruption to global supply chains due to Covid-19 and other geo-political events have opened up new investment opportunities in various sectors. India remains an attractive FDI destination as the fastest growing major economy in the world.

I am confident that your training at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade has given you a holistic outlook to understand the intricacies involved in foreign trade, and effectively deal with global challenges. I expect you to utilize the challenges as opportunities.

I once again congratulate all the officers and trainees of all the services present here. I extend my best wishes to you all for a successful career ahead.

Thank you! 
Jai Hind! 
Jai Bharat!