The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has asked the young officers to take the benefits of government schemes to the poorest of the poor in the society. He was addressing the gathering at Guru Puja, Samkalp, a Project by Jan Kalyan Shiksha Samiti, here today. The former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Jagmohan and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The Vice President said that the importance of Guru in our system cannot be over-emphasized. He further said that we all know Lord Krishna himself is the Guru of all living entities. Yet, in order to teach us the importance of Guru and how to serve the Guru, Lord Krishna accepted Sandipani Muni as his spiritual master. Such is the exalted position of Guru in our tradition, he added.
The Vice President said that the Teachers at Samkalp precisely helped aspirants of Civil Service Examination, especially those, who come from a poor background and guided them to pursue their goals with grit and determination and they deserve our admiration.
The Vice President said that the challenge is to touch every section of the society and make them part of developmental process. He further said that India faces any challenges in the fields of illiteracy, ill health, poor quality of education, lack of clean drinking water and other social evils. An effective implementation of government schemes at grass root level will bring in change, he added.
The Vice President said that it is true that government has stared several programmes to address these challenges, but often we falter at the implementation level. We have to fast track the process so that intended benefits reach the people on time, he added.
The Vice President said that ever since the Independence, India has made several strides and brought in reforms to make peoples lives well, yet the country has miles to go to translate the nation for Swarajya to Surajya.
Stressing on the role of officers in the governance, the Vice President asked the young officers to make public governance systems more people-centric. Inclusive development should be a sacred goal, he added.
The Vice President honoured Baba Yogendra, Founder of Sanskar Bharti with Rushi Samman and Shri Vinay Shankar, former IAS, Shri Bhushan Lal Vohra, former IPS and Shri Gajanan Wakankar, former IFS with Guru Samman, for their excellent service.
Following is the text of Vice President’s address:
“आज मुझे आप सभी के बीच उपस्थित होने पर अत्यंत हर्ष का अनुभव हो रहा है। 'संकल्प' द्वारा आयोजित "गुरु सम्मान एवं अभिनंदन समारोह" के अवसर पर मैं सभी को बधाई और शुभकामनाएं देता हूँ। मुझे बताया गया है कि 'संकल्प' में गुरु सम्मान का कार्यक्रम प्रारंभ से ही मनाया जाता है। यहाँ पर गुरुभाव से विद्यार्थियों का जो मार्गदर्शन कराया जाता है, यह अपने आप में एक अनुकरणीय उदाहरण है। यहाँ शिक्षक न केवल किताबी-ज्ञान देते हैं, बल्कि देश और समाज के प्रति सोचने-समझने का एक नजरिया भी देते हैं। ऐेसे तीन गुरुओं का प्रतिवर्ष "संकल्प" द्वारा सम्मान किया जाता है। इसी कड़ी में इस वर्ष Shri Vinay Shankar, Former IAS, Shri Gajanan Wakankar, former IFS and Shri B.L. Vohra, former IPS को आज सम्मानित किया जा रहा है।
पिछले कुछ वर्षों से 'संकल्प' द्वारा एक अत्यंत विशिष्ट और वरिष्ठ व्यक्तित्व को भी "ऋषि-रूप" में सम्मानित किया जाता है। इस परंपरा में इस वर्ष "संस्कार भारती" के संस्थापक पद्मश्री बाबा योगेंद्र जी को "ऋषि-रूप" में सम्मानित किया जा रहा है।
इस अवसर पर सम्मानित किए गए सभी महानुभावों को मैं हार्दिक बधाई देता हूँ। साथ ही साथ इस कार्यक्रम में भागीदारी कर रहे, इस वर्ष की सिविल सेवा में चयनित सभी प्रतिभागियों को भी हृदय से बधाई देता हूँ। "संकल्प" के समर्पित शिक्षकों को उनके अमूल्य योगदान के लिए बधाई देता हूँ। यहाँ पर उपस्थित परिवारजनों के लिए भी यह अत्यंत हर्ष का अवसर है। वे भी हमारे बधाई के पात्र हैं।
मुझे यह जानकर प्रसन्नता हुई कि 'संकल्प' संस्था समाज के सभी समुदाय, विशेषकर गरीब-पिछड़े,दलित और अल्पसंख्यक छात्रों को प्रोत्साहित कर प्रशासनिक सेवाओं की परीक्षा के लिए तैयार करती आ रही है। संस्था के सभी समर्पित शिक्षक इस प्रक्रिया में एक अहम् भूमिका निभा रहे हैं। मुझे "संकल्प" संस्था का उद्देश्य बहुत अच्छा लगा। यह संस्था न केवल सिविल सेवा परीक्षा के लिए तैयारी करवाती है, बल्कि एक जिम्मेदार, ईमानदार और संवेदनशील अधिकारी बनने की प्रेरणा भी देती है।
मैं कहना चाहूँगा कि "संकल्प" जैसे संस्थान पूरे देश में खोले जाने चाहिएं ताकि हमें ऐसे अधिकारी मिलें जो देश के सर्वांगीण विकास में अपना महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दे सकें।
मेरा यह मानना है कि 'गुरु' एक ऐसा प्रथम दीप है जिससे असंख्य दीप प्रज्ज्वलित होते हैं। गुरु और शिष्य का रिश्ता अपने आप में एक अनूठा रिश्ता है। गुरु शिष्य को एक ऐसे आयाम में स्पर्श करता है, जहां कोई और छू ही नहीं सकता। इसी भाव से हमारे प्राचीन ग्रन्थों में गुरु-शिष्य परंपरा की अलौकिक गाथा गायी गयी है।
Friends,
This is truly a unique function, celebrating the rich tradition of our Guru-shishya parampara. Guru is central to our system of education. From the early vedic times to the present, Gurus have had guided the generations of disciples and imparted them requisite knowledge and training to meet the challenges of life. We are inheritors of this rich and shining legacy.
In Sanskrit language, the word Guru has two syllables, namely 'Gu' which indicates 'darkness of ignorance' and 'Ru' which indicates 'light of bliss'. Therefore, the inner meaning of Guru is 'He who is eligible to take disciples out of the darkness of their ignorance and bring them to the light of bliss'.
The importance of Guru in our system cannot be over-emphasized. We all know that Lord Krishna himself is the Guru of all living entities. Yet, in order to teach us the importance of Guru and how to serve the Guru, Lord Krishna accepted Sandipani Muni as His spiritual master. Such is the exalted position of Guru in our tradition.
Friends,
Cracking Civil Servies Examination is no mean an achievement. It is the country's premier examination that requires thorough planning, hard work and dedication. Lakhs of youth appear every year in this examination and aspire to join the prestigious services. Those who are from reasonably sound socio-economic background may find it easier to understand the nuances of this examination processes and preparation. But, those who are from relatively poorer sections of the society often find it intimidating. Handholding is important for them. Once they gain confidence, it becomes easier for them to succeed. The teachers at Samkalp precisely helped such aspirants and guided them to pursue their goals with grit and determination. They deserve our admiration.
Young Friends,
You are entering into this service at a time when the country needs honest and dynamic officers to make our public governance system more effective and people-centric. For the last over seven decades, good governance is still a 'work in progress'. We have, no doubt, made some strides in reforming the governance system and pursuing the agenda of development; yet, we have miles to go in translating 'Swarajya' to 'Surajya'. The challenge is to touch every section and every region of the country and make them part of our development narrative.
Inclusive development is our sacred goal. The Government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi is pursuing this goal with vigour and commitment. The Government is guided by the objective of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' and for this good governance is an absolute imperative. Today, our governance challenges are manifold. Some are chronic challenges and some are new. On the one hand, we continue to face the persistent challenges of illiteracy, ill health, poor quality of education, lack of clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, on the other, there are several new and emerging challenges such as global warming and climate change, global pandemic, international terrorism, organised crime and so on.
It is true that Government has several programmes to address these challenges. But, we often falter when it comes to implementation. We have to fast-track the implementation processes so that the intended benefits of the policies and programmes of our Government reach the people on time. For this, the Government has made 'Minimum Government and maximum governance' the focal point of the Administration. As civil servants, you have an onerous role to play in the effective implementation of the public programmes.
प्रिय मित्रों,
मैं यह मानता हूँ कि सरकारी योजनाओं को प्रभावी तरीके से लागू करने के लिए हमें सरकार और जनता के बीच संवाद को मजबूत करना पड़ेगा। मैं मानता हूँ कि इस दिशा में अगर हम मातृ भाषा और अन्य भारतीय भाषाओं में सरकारी योजनाओं की जानकारी लोगों तक पहुँचाएं, तो इससे प्रशासन को कार्यक्रमों की सफलता को आंकने में ज्यादा आसानी रहेगी। इस प्रक्रिया में हम प्रशासन को जनसामान्य तक पहुँचा सकेंगे।
Dear friends,
You are soon going to join the service. The task before you is enormous. It is exciting too. I believe, your honest efforts and meaningful contributions will go a long way in building a new India, in which good governance is a fundamental pre-requisite. You need to remain always alive to the roles and responsibilities of your calling. Through this, you can serve the public good and payback to the society. Today, we need more officers of outstanding caliber and impeccable integrity to take the country to new heights. I hope, you will turn out to be such officers.
प्रिय मित्रों,
जीवन के विभिन्न पड़ावों को तय करते हुए यहाँ बिताए हुए समय को कभी मत भूलना, खासकर अपने गुरुओं को। आज तकनीकी युग में Google आपके बेशक नए गुरु बन जाएं, परंतु मैं यह हमेशा मानता हूँ कि Google cannot replace 'GURU'. आपके व्यक्तित्व के विकास में गुरु की महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका को सदैव याद रखें और उनका आशीष पाकर उत्तरोतर तरक्की करें।
आज मैं यहाँ उपस्थित सभी चयनित प्रतिभागियों के उज्ज्वल भविष्य की कामना करता हूँ और 'संकल्प' संस्थान के साथ जुड़े हुए सभी लोगों को साधुवाद देता हूँ।
जय हिंद!”
