New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose for writing his civil services exam in Sanskrit in 1920, when the British were in power.
Modi was attending the centenary celebrations of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) here at Bharat Mandapam.
In his address, the prime minister called the event a celebration of aspirations of millions of young people
.”It is a celebration of the trust that every Indian places in this institution. During this century-long journey, generations changed, governments changed, technology changed, and syllabi changed, yet the trust in the UPSC remains just as unwavering today, and that is one of your greatest assets,” Modi said.
He also asked everyone to go through the gallery set up at the venue.
“While viewing the gallery, I saw the details regarding the time — back in 1920 — when Subhas Chandra Bose also went through this very process. It struck me that although the British were in power at the time, there used to be a Sanskrit paper, and Subhas Babu wrote his exam in Sanskrit,” the prime minister said.
Contrasting the institution’s British Raj origins with its post-Independence evolution, he said that the system successfully shifted its focus to fulfil the dreams of a free nation.
Modi said that while the UPSC discharged its historical duties, the focus must now pivot toward the next 25 years.
The prime minister paid his homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (the first home minister of Independent India) for giving the newly formed nation a solid structure for governance.
He praised Sardar Patel for transforming and empowering the institution into a premier pillar of Independent India.
“The steel frame that was needed for the reconstruction of the nation was provided by Sardar Patel,” Modi said.
April 21 is celebrated as Civil Services Day every year.
The day commemorates Patel’s 1947 address at Metcalf House, Delhi, to civil services officers on probation, whom he called the “steel frame of India.”
Civil Servants for the East India Company used to be nominated by company directors and trained at Haileybury College in London before they would be sent to India, according to the UPSC documents.
Following Lord Macaulay’s report of the Select Committee of the British Parliament, the concept of a merit-based modern civil service in India was introduced in 1854. For this purpose, a Civil Service Commission was set up in 1854 in London, and competitive examinations were started in 1855.
UPSC’s institutional journey began with the formation of India’s first Public Service Commission on October 1, 1926. It became the Federal Public Service Commission on April 1, 1937.
After the Constitution of India came into effect on January 26, 1950, the Federal Public Service Commission became the Union Public Service Commission.
‘Citizen-first governance is core of 21st century’
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said traditional service delivery models must evolve to match the speed of an instant-delivery world where citizens demand rapid, real-time solutions powered by AI.
Urging a fundamental shift in recruitment philosophy, he stressed that the selection parameters must evaluate not just academic knowledge, but the underlying motivation to ensure candidates are drawn to public service rather than mere public office.
He said the recruitment exam must go beyond testing what a candidate knows, and also look into why that youth aspires to join the civil services.
PM Modi said that an increasingly urbanised nation with narrowing rural-urban divides will dramatically elevate the expectations of the youth.
He warned that traditional service delivery models must evolve to match the speed of an instant-delivery world where citizens demand rapid, real-time solutions powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
“The aspirations and expectations of our citizens, especially our youth, will be significantly greater. The signs of this transformation are already visible. Therefore, the question today is not merely one of service delivery. The question is also whether public services are able to keep pace with the speed of today’s world of instant delivery. Are they able to move at that pace?” PM Modi asked.
Today, he said, citizens do not want to wait weeks or months for a service.
“When AI can process thousands of documents within moments, and when governments have access to real-time data, citizens expect quick solutions,” the prime minister said addressing the centenary celebrations of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) here.
He said this changing mindset also demands new changes from our civil services and therefore, we must align our selection parameters and recruitment processes with the needs of the future.
Discarding the archaic ‘Mai-Baap’ governance mindset of the past, PM Modi heralded a modern administrative era built on the absolute principle of ‘Nagrik Devo Bhava’ – treating the citizen as divine.
Highlighting the urgency of administrative overhauls, the prime minister insisted that examination agencies must rapidly align with the nation’s broader reform momentum by adopting the principle of time certainty to shorten exam cycles without lowering standards.
He emphasised that prolonged examinations inflict severe financial burdens, such as coaching fees, rent, and transport, on families, transforming cycle reduction into a fundamental fairness issue.
“This will also be an equity reform,” the prime minister said.
Before starting his address, PM Modi praised Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar’s bravery for foiling his co-pilot’s alleged attempt to crash a flydubai flight to Israel and said that his courageous act fills every Indian’s heart with pride.
“Without fearing for his own life, he fought valiantly and prevented another 9/11 like attack from happening,” the prime minister was quoted as having said in a statement issued by his office.
He said Captain Machchhar has shown the world the highest form of courage.
“For every Indian, Smit’s bravery fills our hearts with pride,” PM Modi said.
He said the whole world is feeling proud of the Indian Captain and requested all citizens to pray for Smit’s long life and excellent health.
“We also praise him for enhancing India’s pride (through his courageous act),” the prime minister said amid a huge round of applause from the audience.
The flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, had transmitted emergency signals and made a sharp descent before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk.
The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
Speaking on the Commission’s centenary celebrations, PM Modi said that placing the service of the citizen above all else is the absolute core of 21st-century governance.
“Our mantra is citizen is God. Meaning, the citizen of the country is no less than a deity to us. For us, the service of the citizens is paramount,” he said.
PM Modi cautioned that future civil servants will have to navigate entirely new battlegrounds such as information warfare, deepfakes, algorithmic bias, and climate justice.
He instructed recruitment agencies to adapt to these global shifts by prioritising candidates’ foresight and complex problem-solving abilities.
The prime minister said that “we must always remember two touchstones: One – nation first. Second – citizen first”.
He said that 21st-century India is moving forward with a new work culture and its fundamental principle rests on three core pillars of “pro-people, pro-active, good governance”.
PM Modi emphasised the need for empathetic civil servants who find innovative solutions, proactively ease citizens’ lives, and critically evaluate the impact of laws on the public.
“We have to give the country those professionals who find innovative ways out of difficult problems,” the prime minister said.
Sharing his personal interactions with newly inducted civil servants, he suggested that trainee officers should write down their original motivations to serve as a grounding self-appraisal tool when future challenges and responsibilities mount.
PM Modi encouraged both the UPSC and state commissions to institutionalise similar introspective mechanisms for candidates.
He reminded the commissions that they are not merely picking candidates, but choosing individuals who will become the very face and representative of the government at the grassroots level.
“Therefore, all of you have a very huge responsibility of selecting the right person,” the prime minister said.
He also released a commemorative coin, a stamp and a book titled ‘100 Landmark Judgements: Shaping the Policies of UPSC and Public Service Commissions in India’. Thursday’s programme marks the culmination of year-long celebrations that began on October 1, 2025, to commemorate 100 years since the establishment of the UPSC in 1926.
