"Nagrik Devo Bhav": PM Modi emphasises citizen-centric governance at inaugural session of Karmayogi Sadhana Week 2026

Addressing the inaugural session through video conferencing, PM Modi said, "It is essential to update public services as the country advances in this changing world. Karmayogi Sadhana Saptah is an important link in this attempt. The main mantra of the principle of governance we are working on is 'Nagrik Devo Bhav'."

He congratulated people for their participation in the event, stating, "Many congratulations and best wishes to all of you of Karmayogi Sadhana Week. In this era of the 21st century, rapidly changing systems, a rapidly changing world, and our India advancing at the same pace between them. For this, it is necessary to continuously update public service in accordance with the times."

The Prime Minister noted that Karmayogi Sadhana Week serves as a critical initiative for enhancing the capability of every government employee.

"Karmayogi Sadhana Week is an important link in that very endeavour. You are all familiar with the fact that the principle of governance we are advancing today is fundamentally guided by the mantra 'Citizen is God'. With the spirit embodied in this mantra, the focus today is on making public service more capable and more sensitive towards citizens," he said.

The PM also urged officials to focus on strengthening their own capacities rather than limiting others, adding, "Another major principle of success is to enlarge your own line rather than shortening others'. In our country, since independence, many kinds of institutions have been working with different focuses. But there was a need for an institution whose focus is capacity building, which enhances the capability of every employee, every karma yogi working in the government."

In a first-of-its-kind national initiative, the Capacity Building Commission launched Sadhana Saptah, 2026, from April 2-8, marking one of the largest collaborative capacity building efforts across India's civil services ecosystem. The initiative coincides with two important milestones: the Foundation Day of the Capacity Building Commission and the completion of five years of Mission Karmayogi, an official release from Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions read.

Sadhana Saptah stands for Strengthening Adaptive Development and Humane Aptitude for National Advancement. The initiative will bring together Central Ministries, Departments and Organisations (MDOs), States and Union Territories, and over 250 Civil Services Training Institutions (CSTIs) in a shared national capacity building effort.

Civil servants across the country will participate in structured capacity-building programmes designed to build competencies required for achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

For the first time, capacity building activities across ministries, states, and training institutions are being aligned within a common thematic framework. While earlier efforts focused primarily on individual ministries or departments, Sadhana Saptah expands participation across the broader civil services ecosystem, creating a shared learning movement at a national scale, a release read.

From North to South, civil servants across levels, from early career officers to senior leadership, will engage with common themes that support responsive, citizen-centric governance.

The week is anchored around the Three Sutras: Technology, Tradition and Tangible Outcomes. Learning activities include webinars, workshops, Samuhik Charcha sessions, and curated courses on the iGOT Karmayogi platform, available in multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, a release added. (ANI)