During his address at the Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai’s convocation ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Secretary, P.K. Mishra, underscored a crucial message for graduating students: raw technical skills are simply not enough. He stressed the vital importance of qualities like a positive attitude, effective teamwork, openness, mutual respect, humility, strong ethics, transparency, and objectivity. These attributes, he argued, are indispensable for true success, not only in one’s professional journey but throughout life. Mr. Mishra particularly noted that collective brilliance often surpasses individual achievement in today’s complex world.
Focusing on human resource development, Mr. Mishra urged the fresh graduates to embrace a mindset of continuous learning. He pointed out that in our rapidly changing world, knowledge quickly becomes outdated. He also acknowledged the inherent challenge of embedding core values within large organizations and the persistent need for sustained motivation among personnel. Discussing the evolving landscape of administrative reforms, Mr. Mishra explained that a strategic overhaul in personnel management, initiated in 2014, aims to cultivate a ’21st-century civil service’ capable of meeting modern demands.
Earlier, a video clip from ANI showed Dr. P.K. Mishra discussing the broader global challenges influencing India. He mentioned significant issues such as trade disputes between major economies, ongoing geopolitical tensions in regions like Ukraine and the Middle East, the critical fight against climate change, and the profound impact of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
A pivotal reform, Mr. Mishra detailed, has been the complete revamp of the empanelment process for senior government roles, including Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary, and Secretary to the Government of India. To move beyond the inherent limitations of traditional annual assessment reports, the government introduced a comprehensive multi-source feedback system in 2016. This innovative system gathers evaluations from supervisors, subordinates, peers, and external stakeholders, providing a holistic assessment of critical attributes such as decision-making prowess, ownership, delivery, proactiveness, and a reputation for unwavering integrity.
These reforms in government services have significantly expanded the talent pool, cultivating robust credibility in the fairness and transparency of selection processes, Mr. Mishra affirmed. He emphasized that appointments across the Central government and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are now guided primarily by domain expertise, aptitude, and impeccable reputation.
Such deep-seated changes, the senior bureaucrat noted, have been consistently implemented and sustained for nearly a decade, subtly yet profoundly reshaping governance to align with the evolving aspirations of a dynamic India. He cited the 2016 discontinuation of personal interviews for Group B and C posts as a key move that dramatically reduced bias and subjectivity. Furthermore, he highlighted the ‘Mission Karmayogi’ platform, which has revolutionized civil service capacity building by offering over 3,300 courses and serving more than 1.3 crore users, equipping them with essential skills for modern public service.