President Murmu emphasises integrity, equity at national PSC conference in Hyderabad

President of India Droupadi Murmu on Friday inaugurated the National Conference for the Chairpersons of Public Service Commissions , organised by the Telangana Public Service Commission , bringing together heads of Public Service Commissions from across the country to deliberate on strengthening recruitment systems and future ready governance.

Addressing the conference, the President said the Constitution makers had accorded special importance to Services and Public Service Commissions by dedicating an entire part of the Constitution to them. This, she noted, underlined their crucial role in ensuring impartial, stable and effective governance at both the Union and State levels.

President Murmu spoke at length about constitutional values such as social, economic and political justice, and equality of status and opportunity. She said Public Service Commissions should not restrict themselves only to ensuring equality of opportunity in public employment, but must also work towards achieving equality of outcomes. Describing the commissions as change agents, she said their functioning has a direct impact on equity and social justice in governance.

Highlighting the importance of ethics in administration, the President stressed that honesty and integrity must be the highest priority while recruiting civil servants. She said while gaps in skills and competence can be addressed through training and learning, lack of integrity poses serious challenges that are often impossible to correct.

The President also urged young civil service aspirants to develop a strong commitment towards serving marginalised and vulnerable sections of society. She called for greater sensitivity towards women in public administration and said gender sensitisation should be given due importance in recruitment and institutional practices.

The conference agenda includes discussions on improving transparency and efficiency in recruitment processes, ensuring fairness and inclusivity in selections, strengthening institutional credibility of Public Service Commissions, and aligning civil services recruitment with the evolving governance needs of a rapidly growing and diverse nation.

Noting that India is the world’s fastest growing major economy and is working towards becoming the third largest economy in the near future, President Murmu said effective governance systems are essential to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 . She expressed confidence that the deliberations at the conference would help Public Service Commissions contribute meaningfully to building a competent, ethical and future ready civil services cadre.