A group of State Civil Service Officers attending the 115th Induction Training Programme at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (April 4, 2014).

Addressing the officers, the President stated that India’s federal structure is a basic feature of our constitution. The federal structure represents unity in diversity of our country. While performing their duties, civil servants would have to respect this aspect of our country. While the states represent separate parts of the whole, the nation is the collection of these parts. India, therefore, means the states. The road to our country’s development will, therefore, depend on the progress of our states. Yet, they have to have a national vision. They may belong to a particular state but they must always have a pan India perception to guide them. The President emphasized that they all, therefore, have the responsibility of strengthening the unity and integrity of our country. And unless they are firm in their resolve, our country would not be able to reach its rightful place in the comity of nations.