National Civil Service Day: President praises Civil servants for being the backbone of fight against COVID

On greeting Civil Servants on National Civil Service Day on Wednesday, President Kovind said India’s bureaucracy has been the backbone of the country’s fight against COVID-19. Every year the Government of India celebrates  Civil Service Day on April 21. The day is an opening for Civil Servants to rededicate and refresh their commitments to public service and excellence in work.

National Civil Service Day remembers the historic occasion when the first home minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, addressed the newly appointed Administrative Services Officers in 1947 at Metcalf House in Delhi. Sardar Patel referred to Civil Servants as the “steel frame of India”.

“On Civil Service Day, my greetings to Civil Servants past and present! Our bureaucracy is rightly called the steel frame, and you’ve been the backbone of our fight against COVID-19. You’ve raised the bar of professional excellence and dedication in public service. All the best,” President Kovind tweeted.

Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, said India’s Civil Servants are ”contributing substantially and living up to this unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.”