**Executive Summary**
On May 20, 2026, President Droupadi Murmu addressed the 2024 batch of IAS officers serving as Assistant Secretaries at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The address emphasized the heightened expectations for civil servants as India enters a higher orbit of development. Officers were urged to prioritize ethical governance, timely decision-making, and the needs of marginalized sections to achieve the goal of a 'Viksit Bharat.'
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Professional Conduct and Adaptability**
* Officers must prepare for wide and rapid learning to effectively lead diverse teams of experts in specialized fields.
* Exceptional adaptability is required to manage different situations and sectors across the country.
* Neutrality is defined as a key indicator of fairness, while transparency is essential for building credibility.
* **Decision-Making and Ethics**
* Integrity provides the moral courage required to act decisively in the public interest.
* Ethics and governance are viewed as inseparable; officers must remain honest while consistently delivering results.
* True morality involves making timely, right decisions in alignment with the public interest rather than refraining from decision-making.
* Administrative delays are characterized as being equivalent to depriving citizens of their legitimate interests.
* **Operational Philosophy**
* Officers are instructed to blend compassion with rationality and maintain sensitivity without being sentimental.
* Adherence to rules must be balanced with a focus on larger developmental objectives.
* Achieving a 'Viksit Bharat' requires proactive effort and the courage to "strive against the tide" rather than drifting with existing currents.
* **Democratic and Social Responsibility**
* Officers must prioritize issues raised by elected representatives, as they articulate the aspirations of the people.
* The marginalized sections of society must remain at the center of all administrative thoughts and actions, whether in the field or the office.
**Impact Analysis**
**IAS Officers (2024 Batch)**
**Impact**
These officers are designated as the primary drivers of development in a "higher orbit," facing increased public and governmental expectations. They are tasked with leading specialized teams and maintaining the balance between strict rule-following and achieving broader social objectives.
**Action Required**
Officers must adopt a fast-paced learning approach, ensure their decision-making is inclusive and timely, and align their administrative priorities with the issues raised by elected representatives. They are required to place marginalized citizens at the center of their professional conduct.
**Elected Representatives**
**Impact**
Their role as the articulators of public aspirations is reinforced. The document mandates that the issues they raise should be given priority by administrative officers.
**Action Required**
N/A (The document outlines the duty of officers to respond to representatives rather than prescribing actions for the representatives themselves).
**Marginalized Sections of Society**
**Impact**
This group is identified as the focal point of government policy and administrative action, intended to be the primary beneficiaries of inclusive development and 'Viksit Bharat.'
**Action Required**
N/A (The document focuses on administrative directives to serve this group).
Key Entities Referenced
Smt. Droupadi Murmu: The President of India who addressed the IAS officers, emphasizing the importance of ethics, neutrality, and compassion in governance.
IAS (Indian Administrative Service): Specifically referring to the 2024 batch of officers currently serving as Assistant Secretaries in Union Ministries, who are the primary subjects of the address.
Viksit Bharat: The national goal of achieving a 'Developed India,' which the President identified as the central objective for the new administrative officers.
All India Services: The administrative framework comprising the IAS and other services, noted for its significant role in the country's development and governance.
President's Secretariat
IAS OFFICERS OF THE 2024 BATCH CALL ON
THE PRESIDENT
BLEND COMPASSION WITH RATIONALITY; BE SENSITIVE
WITHOUT BEING SENTIMENTAL: PRESIDENT MURMU TO
IAS OFFICERS
Posted On: 20 MAY 2026 1:50PM by PIB Delhi
A group of IAS officers from the 2024 batch, currently serving as Assistant Secretaries in various Union
Ministries and Departments, called on the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati
Bhavan today (May 20, 2026).
Addressing the IAS officers, the President said that the All India Services, especially the IAS, have played
a major role in the development of our country. Now that the country has entered into a higher orbit of
development, the expectations from the officers are also higher.The President said that the young officers will have the unique opportunity to work in diverse fields. On
several occasions, they will be heading teams of experts in certain specialized areas. Therefore, the scope
and pace of their learning must be very wide and rapid. She underlined that their ability to adapt to
different areas and situations has to be exceptional.
The President said that the neutrality of the officers will be an indicator of their fairness. Their sensitivity
will be the measure of their commitment to inclusivity. Their credibility will be built on their transparency
and sustained performance. Their integrity, defined by their personal and professional conduct, will give
them the moral courage to act decisively in the public interest. She stated that officers have to blend
compassion with rationality. They have to be sensitive without being sentimental. They have to follow the
rules but not lose sight of the larger objectives.
The President said that ethics and governance are the two sides of the same coin. She underlined that the
officers have to be honest and ethical. At the same time, they have to deliver results.The President said that refraining from making a decision does not constitute morality. Rather, making the
right decisions in alignment with the public interest and established order represents the true essence of
morality. Just as a delay in the delivery of justice is deemed a denial of justice, so too is a delay in
administrative decision-making tantamount to depriving people of their legitimate interests.
The President said that the objective of a democracy is to realize the aspirations of its people. These
aspirations are articulated through their elected representatives. It is, therefore, the duty of officers to
accord priority to the issues raised by these representatives in the interest of the public.
The President stated that no effort is required to simply drift along with the flowing current. To achieve the
goal of a 'Viksit Bharat' and to elevate our society to the pinnacle of progress, officers will often have to
move forward by striving against the tide. She advised them to keep the people of India, particularly the
marginalized sections of society, at the very centre of their thoughts and actions, whether they are out in
the field or working in the office. She expressed confidence that they will make an invaluable contribution
to the creation of a developed and inclusive India.
Please click here to see the President's Speech-
***
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