New Delhi:Asserting that railway services determine the quality of daily lives of a large number of people, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday asked the railway services officers to get rid of the burdens of unproductive systems and not to work in a silo.
Addressing a group of probationers of the railway services, who had called on her at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, the president said a major part of India moves on the railway tracks every day and hence it is not an exaggeration to say that Indian Railways is a social, cultural and commercial lifeline of the country.
Railway services determine the quality of daily lives of a large number of people, the president said addressing the officer trainees of the Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS), the Indian Railway Management Service (Accounts) and the Indian Railway Management Service (Traffic).
"I will make a special appeal to all the young officers of the three different wings of the railways to always keep above what is called ‘working in a silo’. You are not working only for the vertical you are employed in. You are working for the overall effectiveness of the railways as a change agent and service provider to the nation on the move," she said.
Murmu also underlined the need to differentiate between what the railway was during the colonial era and what role it has to play in the India of Amrit-Kaal. "You should try to continue with good aspects of the legacy and get rid of the burdens of unproductive systems and procedures. I want today’s railway personnel to write new chapters of glorious contribution to the growth of the India of the 21st century," the president said.
Murmu said the IRPFS probationers are the future leaders of the force and they are going to deal with several challenges and threats. She said that the officers "thoughts and action" have to be driven by the need of a modern railway system which works as a service provider.
Addressing a group of officer trainees of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, who had also called on her, the president said that they have a role to play in the great national effort of making India a developed nation by the year 2047. "Let us be sensitive to the fact that the role and approach of a colonial government and its audit wing was very different from what it should be in our republic," she said.
Murmu said the Shimla of the 19th century was a symbol of colonial might and pomp. "However, 75 years since the adoption of our Constitution, we must emphasise that we, the people of India, have to march ahead, together, to achieve our national targets," she said, noting more than 160 years old history of the audit department.
The president said that they have to keep in mind the provisions of the Indian Constitution which is the basis of the entire institution of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. "There is a need to think about the philosophy behind the often-quoted statement of Babasaheb Ambedkar about CAG probably being the most important officer in the Constitution of India.
"The fact that the oath of the Judge of the Supreme Court and that of the CAG are the same is also an important pointer. It points towards your role in ensuring fairness and justice in the area of financial governance," Murmu said.
The president said that the officers "role as the friend, philosopher and guide will be as important as that as a monitor and controller". "Financial propriety and economic productivity have to go together. You have to find ways of blending both the objectives," she added.
