Date: 2026-04-21Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
Dr. Jitendra Singh Addresses 18th Civil Services Day, Highlights Surge in PM’s Excellence Awards; Says Entries Rise from 1,216 in 2023 to 2,035 in 2025
**Executive Summary**
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh addressed the 18th Civil Services Day on April 21, 2026, highlighting significant advancements in digital governance and a surge in participation for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence. The address detailed a structural shift toward citizen-centric, role-based administration and highlighted the success of platforms like iGOT Karmayogi and CPGRAMS. These reforms aim to institutionalize service delivery and equip civil servants for the "Viksit Bharat" vision by 2047.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Growth in Recognition and Participation**
* Applications for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence rose from 1,216 in 2023 to 2,035 in 2025, covering over 750 districts.
* The evaluation framework for these awards has been restructured to focus on flagship programme outcomes rather than individual officer profiles.
* **Digital Infrastructure and Capacity Building**
* The iGOT Karmayogi platform has reached 1.63 crore users with access to over 4,770 training courses.
* Mission Karmayogi and "Karmayogi Prarambh" are being expanded to prepare officials for emerging governance challenges.
* Digital governance systems now cover nearly 90% of government operations.
* **Grievance Redressal and Pension Reforms**
* CPGRAMS annual complaint handling increased from 2 lakh in 2014 to 25–30 lakh currently, with a 95% disposal rate.
* Average grievance resolution time has been reduced from 60 days to approximately 12 days.
* In 2024, 40 lakh pensioners utilized face recognition-based digital life certificates (DLC), contributing to a cumulative 10 crore DLC usages.
* **Structural and Administrative Reforms**
* Transition from "administration-centric" to "citizen-centric" governance and from "rule-based" to "role-based" administration.
* Removal of nearly 2,000 obsolete rules and the abolition of interviews for certain recruitment processes.
* Implementation of the Assistant Secretary programme to foster institutional innovation.
* **Global Influence and Future Vision**
* International interest in Indian models is rising, with countries like Maldives, Mauritius, Bangladesh, and South Africa studying the CPGRAMS system.
* Reforms are designed to ensure maximum transparency, accountability, and timeline discipline for India’s centenary of independence in 2047.
**Impact Analysis**
**Civil Servants**
**Impact**
Officials are transitioning to a role-based performance model and have access to massive-scale digital training. Performance is now evaluated through data-driven benchmarks and programme outcomes.
**Action Required**
Onboard onto the iGOT Karmayogi platform, utilize available training courses, and align administrative efforts with flagship programme benchmarks.
**Citizens**
**Impact**
Citizens benefit from a more transparent, accountable, and faster grievance redressal system, with significantly reduced resolution timelines.
**Action Required**
Engage with CPGRAMS for grievance reporting and utilize digital service delivery platforms for more efficient interactions with the government.
**Pensioners**
**Impact**
Pensioners experience a simplified, technology-driven verification process for maintaining their benefits.
**Action Required**
Adopt face recognition-based digital life certificate systems for annual verification requirements.
**Recruitment Applicants**
**Impact**
Candidates for specific government roles face a streamlined hiring process due to the removal of interviews and obsolete administrative rules.
**Action Required**
Follow updated, simplified recruitment guidelines and procedures for relevant job applications.
Key Entities Referenced
Mission Karmayogi: A national initiative for civil service capacity building that includes the iGOT platform for official training and competency-based governance.
CPGRAMS: The Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System, which has expanded capacity and significantly reduced resolution times for citizen complaints.
Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration: An awards program restructured to evaluate administrative performance based on flagship programme outcomes rather than individual profiles.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions: The primary government body responsible for overseeing civil service reforms, administrative training, and public grievance mechanisms.
Viksit Bharat: The overarching national theme guiding citizen-centric governance reforms aimed at equipping civil servants for India’s centenary of independence.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Dr. Jitendra Singh Addresses 18th Civil Services
Day, Highlights Surge in PM’s Excellence
Awards; Says Entries Rise from 1,216 in 2023 to
2,035 in 2025
iGOT Karmayogi platform crosses 1.63 crore users with
access to over 4,770 training courses
Grievance redressal through CPGRAMS has expanded from
around 2 lakh complaints annually in 2014 to 25–30 lakh at
present, with over 95% of cases disposed of and average
resolution time reduced from 60 days to about 12 days, says
the Minister citing figures
Over 40 lakh pensioners used face recognition-based digital
life certificates in 2024 alone, while cumulative usage across
DLC systems crossed 10 crore: Dr Jitendra Singh
Civil Services Evaluation Recast Around Flagship Programme
Outcomes, Says Dr. Jitendra Singh
Posted On: 21 APR 2026 3:50PM by PIB Delhi
The popularity of Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence has risen sharply across over 750 districts, and
the competitive participation has shown a corresponding rise with applications increasing from 1,216 in
2023 to 1,588 in 2024 and 2,035 in 2025. The iGOT Karmayogi platform has onboarded more than 1.63
crore officials who have accessed over 4,770 courses. Grievance redressal through CPGRAMS has
expanded from around 2 lakh complaints annually in 2014 to 25–30 lakh at present, with over 95% of
cases disposed of and average resolution time reduced from 60 days to about 12 days. In pension reforms,
over 40 lakh pensioners used face recognition-based digital life certificates in 2024 alone, while
cumulative usage across systems has reached significant scale.
These interesting figures were cited by Union Minister of State for Ministry of Personnel, Public
Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh while addressing the 18 Civil Services Day here, as he
highlighted a shift towards “citizen-centric, institutionalised governance”, underlined reforms in service
delivery and announced continued expansion of capacity-building initiatives such as Mission Karmayogi
and its newer components, alongside a reoriented framework for evaluating administrative performance
through competitive, programme-based benchmarks rather than individual profiling.The Minister emphasised structural shifts in governance, including a move “from individual delivery to
institutionalised delivery” and from “rule-based” to “role-based” administration. He pointed to the
removal of nearly 2,000 obsolete rules, abolition of interviews for certain recruitment processes, and the
redesign of Civil Services Day into a more knowledge-driven platform. The evaluation framework for
excellence awards has been restructured to focus on flagship programme outcomes rather than individual
officer profiles. Institutional innovations such as the Assistant Secretary programme, digital governance
systems covering nearly 90% of government operations, and international collaborations, including
hosting global administrative forums, were also highlighted.
Looking ahead, Dr. Jitendra Singh indicated expansion of training and governance reforms through
initiatives like Mission Karmayogi and “Karmayogi Prarambh,” with a focus on preparing civil servants
for emerging governance challenges. He also pointed to increasing global interest in Indian administrative
models, with countries such as Maldives, Mauritius, Bangladesh and South Africa studying systems like
CPGRAMS. The broader push, he said, aligns with the theme of “Viksit Bharat: Citizen-Centric
Governance and Development at the Last Mile,” aimed at equipping the next generation of civil servants
for India’s centenary of independence in 2047.
“The shift is from administration-centric governance to citizen-centric governance,” Dr. Jitendra Singh
said, adding that reforms are intended to ensure “maximum transparency, maximum accountability and
timeline discipline.” He also noted that increased grievance filings reflect improved trust in redressal
systems rather than rising dissatisfaction.
The developments underscore an ongoing transition in India’s administrative framework towards data-
driven evaluation, digital governance, and large-scale capacity building as central pillars of public service
reform.
Vice President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan presided over the function as the Chief Guest. The function was
attended by senior members of the government’s top administrative leadership. Also present on the dais
were Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister
Shri Shaktikanta Das, Cabinet Secretary Dr. T. V. Somanathan, and Secretary, DARPG Ms. Nivedita
Shukla Verma reflecting the high-level institutional presence at the annual civil services gathering.
PHOTO: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh speaking at the 18th Civil Services Day at New Delhi on
Tuesday.******
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