Kashmir Impulse Desk
New Delhi, Oct 1
India must recruit young people motivated by public service rather than the power and prestige of government office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, calling for changes in the way candidates are assessed for the civil services.
Addressing an event marking the centenary of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which conducts examinations for key government positions, Modi said recruitment tests should evaluate not only candidates’ knowledge but also their reasons for seeking public office.
“We must bring such youth into public services who are attracted not by public office, but by public service,” Modi said, adding that examinations should assess complex problem-solving abilities and long-term thinking.
The prime minister said the challenge for India’s public administration was no longer limited to delivering services but also involved matching the speed and expectations of citizens in an era of instant access.
India was moving away from a system in which the government was viewed as a paternal authority towards one that placed citizens at the centre of governance, he said.
Modi identified the principles of “nation first” and “citizen first” as the guiding priorities for public servants, describing the country’s evolving administrative culture as pro-people, proactive and focused on good governance.
Young people entering government service today would play an important role in the country’s ambition to become a developed nation, he said.
Modi also highlighted women’s representation in the UPSC’s leadership, saying three of the four women appointed as chairpersons of the commission in its 100-year history had taken office since 2014.
The event marked the culmination of year-long celebrations that began on Oct. 1, 2025, to commemorate the commission’s establishment in 1926. Modi released a commemorative coin, a postage stamp and a book documenting landmark judgments that have shaped the UPSC and public service commissions in India.
Before his address, Modi praised Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for what he described as his bravery in thwarting an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to crash a Flydubai flight travelling to Israel.
The flight, FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers, including 27 children, had issued emergency signals and made a sharp descent before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk, according to the account cited at the event.
Modi said Machchhar had displayed patience, judgment and courage, and called on Indians to pray for his health and long life. He also cited remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had compared the incident to the September 11 attacks.
