ADDRESS BY THE HON’BLE PRESIDENT OF INDIA SMT. DROUPADI MURMU ON THE OCCASION OF CALL ON BY THE OFFICER TRAINEES OF INDIAN AUDIT AND ACCOUNTS SERVICE, INDIAN RAILWAY

I congratulate all the Officer Trainees of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service. I convey my special congratulations to the officers of Royal Audit Authority of Bhutan.

I also congratulate the Probationary Officers pertaining to the Traffic, Accounts and Protection functions of the Railway Services. 

All of you have chosen to serve the country. All of you have come through a rigorous process of competitive examination. All of you are going to be in positions of leadership in your respective fields when India will celebrate 100 years of its Independence in the year 2047. 

Dear Officer Trainees of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, 

You have a role to play in the great national effort of making India a developed nation by the year 2047.  You are partners in nation- building. I have been told about the more than 160 years old history of the audit department. Let us be sensitive to the fact that the role and approach of a colonial government and its audit wing was very different from what it should be in our republic. The Shimla of the 19 th century was a symbol of colonial might and pomp. However, 75 years since the adoption of our Constitution, we must emphasise that we, the people of India, have to march ahead, together, to achieve our national targets.

All of you have to keep in mind the provisions of the Indian Constitution which is the basis of the entire institution of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. While Chapter-V of Part-V of the Constitution makes you aware of the role, duties and powers of the institution, the Preamble of the Constitution and the oath of the CAG should be the guiding spirits of each and everyone in the discharge of the important roles and duties of your institution. There is a need to think about the philosophy behind the often-quoted statement of Babasaheb Ambedkar about CAG probably being the most important officer in the Constitution of India. The fact that the oath of the Judge of the Supreme Court and that of the CAG are the same is also an important pointer. It points towards your role in ensuring fairness and justice in the area of financial governance. You have to guide and facilitate the stakeholders with innovative solutions. Your role as the friend, philosopher and guide will be as important as that as a monitor and controller. Financial propriety and economic productivity have to go together. You have to find ways of blending both the objectives. 

I am sure that you will make the best use of your winter study tour and the entire training program. The experience-sharing on behalf of you all by your batch-mates makes me feel that you will work with a deep sense of pride, patriotism and responsibility. 

Dear Probationers of Railway Services, 

A major part of India moves on the railway tracks every day. Hence, it is not an exaggeration to say that Indian Railways is a social, cultural and commercial lifeline of the country. I am happy to note that Indian Railways is modernising its infrastructure, facilities and services. As the Railway Services Officers, you have to play a major role in accelerating our mobility, and thereby the growth of our economy. Railway services determine the quality of daily lives of a large number of people. I understand that officers from the Railway Protection Force, Accounts as well as Traffic wings of the Indian Railway Management Service are assembled here. I will make a special appeal to all the young officers of the three different wings of the railways to always keep above what is called ‘working in a silo’. You are not working only for the vertical you are employed in. You are working for the overall effectiveness of the railways as a change agent and service provider to the nation on the move. 

Just as I mentioned in the context of audit, I also underline the need to differentiate between what the railway was during the colonial era and what role it has to play in the India of Amrit-Kaal. You should try to continue with good aspects of the legacy and get rid of the burdens of unproductive systems and procedures. I want today’s railway personnel to write new chapters of glorious contribution to the growth of the India of the 21 st century.

 The IRPFS probationers are the future leaders of the Force. You are going to deal with several challenges and threats. After listening to the experience-sharing by your colleagues, I have come to understand that you have been given a very extensive and intensive exposure covering numerous dimensions of protection and security. I am sure that you will continue to upgrade your learning and remain future ready. 

Similarly, as shared by the probationers in the Accounts function, they undergo rigorous and extensive training at the Indian Railways Institute of Financial Management. The trainers and the trainees have to keep in mind the fundamental fact that world of the 1920s when the Acworth Committee gave its report has changed beyond recognition in the 2020s. Your thoughts and action have to be driven by the need of a modern railway system which works as a service provider. 

I hope that all the probationary officers and trainees assembled here will think and act in terms of making India a developed nation. 

I wish all of you a very bright future.

Thank you!
Jai Hind!
Jai Bharat!