PRIME Minister Narendra Modi onThursday said traditional service delivery models must evolve to match the speed of an instantdelivery 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. 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). “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 UPSC.

 

Discarding the archaic ‘MaiBaap’ 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 said the country must bring youth into public services who are not attracted to public office. “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 citizen is paramount,” he said. “We must bring such youth into public services who are attracted not by public office, but by public service. Therefore, it is essential that the recruitment examination... Does not just test what the candidate knows. But also sees that... Why that youth wants to come into civil services,” he said. 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.