New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed more than 51,000 appointment letters to newly appointed youth in various government organisations at the 20th Rozgar Mela through video conferencing on Saturday.
Addressing the newly appointed candidates, Modi said the occasion brought immense joy to thousands of families and represented a tribute to the hard work of the candidates and the sacrifices made by their parents.
He wished the appointees success as they began a new phase of their lives, according to an official statement.
Welcoming the recruits to the government of India, the PM highlighted their role in the country’s journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047.
He said young officials would have an important responsibility in strengthening the campaigns for a developed and self-reliant India through their administrative decisions.
Modi also highlighted the growing global expectations from Indian innovators, entrepreneurs and young people. Referring to the recently concluded BRICS Summit, he said the government was working to expand international cooperation beyond traditional government-to-government engagement.
He cited initiatives such as BRICS CONNECT and the BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal as efforts to directly connect entrepreneurs, farmers, women and youth with global partnerships. He stressed that everyone should become an active participant in these partnerships.
Highlighting the government’s economic diplomacy, Modi said Free Trade Agreements with approximately 40 countries were creating new career opportunities.
According to him, these agreements were opening new markets and partnerships for domestic entrepreneurs while expanding career possibilities for young people.
Modi also underlined the government’s focus on future-ready skills through initiatives including the National Education Policy, Skill India Mission, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana and promotion of apprenticeships.
He highlighted the PM-SETU scheme, under which one thousand government ITIs are being modernised with an investment of ₹60,000 crore and direct participation from industry. He said the objective was to ensure that the education and skills of young people kept pace with the changing needs of the economy.
Modi also pointed to the growth of India’s startup ecosystem, describing the country as the world’s third-largest startup hub. He noted that nearly half of recognised startups now come from tier-two and tier-three cities and said young people from villages, towns and smaller cities were increasingly developing ideas, building companies and creating employment opportunities.
On private-sector employment, the Prime Minister highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana, a Rs 1 lakh crore initiative aimed at bringing two crore young people into the formal workforce for the first time. He said the scheme provides incentives of up to Rs 15,000 for first-time employees and also offers financial incentives to employers creating new jobs.
Linking employment generation with economic growth, Modi said new opportunities for youth emerge when the economy expands, investments increase, and new industries grow. He highlighted India’s 7.8% growth rate and a 12% increase in investments during the first quarter, while noting that rating agencies were upgrading the country’s economic outlook despite global uncertainties.
The PM also attributed the growth to the reforms undertaken in recent years and urged the newly appointed officials to continue the process of administrative transformation. He stressed the need to simplify tax compliance, improve ease of doing business, advance reforms in education and skilling, and open new sectors to innovation.
Calling for continuous reform, Modi urged the new officials to ensure that every administrative decision helps remove hurdles, encourages ideas and supports innovation-driven investment that creates employment.
He also asked the recruits to use their authority with empathy and work to remove the difficulties that young people may face while dealing with government systems.
He urged them to ensure that other youth do not have to go through the difficulties they themselves may have experienced before joining government service.
Emphasising lifelong learning, the Prime Minister asked the recruits to continuously upgrade their skills and learn new technologies through the Mission Karmayogi framework. He highlighted the Karmayogi Prarambh module for new entrants and said 1.7 crore employees were already on the iGOT platform.
Modi further emphasised that public trust is the foundation of government and that the daily work of officials directly affects citizens, including through services such as elderly pensions, student scholarships and farmer subsidies.
He said the behaviour, sensitivity, efficiency and honesty of government employees would shape citizens’ experience with the government. Concluding his address, the PM urged the new officials to follow the principle of ‘Nagrik Devo Bhava’, or the citizen is divine, and treat public service as national service.
He said the success of the newly appointed officials would be greater when their work makes the lives of citizens easier.
