Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address civil servants on Friday (April 21) in honour of National Civil Services Day, according to an announcement issued by his office earlier this week. Noting that Modi has constantly appreciated the contribution of civil servants towards nation-building and encouraged them to work even harder, the statement said the programme will serve as an apt platform for him to motivate and inspire bureaucrats from across the country so that they keep serving the nation with the same zeal, especially during this crucial phase of 'Amrit Kaal'. PM Modi will also be conferring the Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration at the event.
The awards were established to recognise the extraordinary and innovative work done by districts and organisations of the federal and state governments for the welfare of ordinary citizens.
Awards will be given for outstanding performance in four identified priority programmes.
These are: Promoting Swachh Jal through Har Ghar Jal Yojana; Promoting Swasth Bharat through health and wellness centres; Promoting quality education with an equitable and inclusive classroom environment through Samagra Shiksha; Holistic development through aspirational district programme - overall progress with a special focus on saturation approach.
There will be eight awards for these four identified programmes, with seven awards for innovations.
Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur To Get Award For Tap Water Scheme:
Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh has been chosen for the Prime Minister's Excellence in Public Administration Award for ensuring tap water supply in every house in the district through the Union government's 'Har Ghar Jal Yojana'.
"Tap water is provided to over one lakh households in 254 villages served by 167 panchayats." "Through the Jal Jeevan Mission, women are being empowered because they have been entrusted with running the Nal Jal schemes and collecting tax from end users," Burhanpur Collector Bhavya Mittal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"These women receive a 20% commission on such tax collection." This scheme is run by around 1,700 women and is monitored by a Whatsapp group. Women are getting empowered," Mittal added.
National Civil Services Day is observed to honour administrators and officials who work in various public departments to improve the lives of citizens.
The date of April 21 was chosen because it was on this day in 1947 that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Home Minister, addressed civil service probationers and exhorted them to ensure that the benefits of government schemes reached citizens.