''On Civil Service Day, my greetings to Civil Servants past and present'': President Kovind
President Ram Nath Kovind has greeted Civil Servants on National Civil Service Day on Wednesday. He said India's bureaucracy has been the backbone of the country's fight against COVID-19. The Government of India celebrates April 21 every year as Civil Service Day. The day is an occasion for Civil Servants to rededicate and renew their commitments to public service and excellence in work.
National Civil Service Day commemorates 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.
Minister of State for Personnel, Jitendra Singh said India's Civil Servants are ''contributing substantially and living up to this unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.''