A group of 29 officers trainees of 35th (2013) batch of the Indian Economic Service called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (March 24, 2014).

Speaking on the occasion, the President stated that the officers of the Indian Economic Service serve as a key instrument in advising policy makers and planners. He said that the importance of sound economic advice in the policy arena in today’s complex world is being increasingly realized. He said that economic policy making is becoming increasingly complex. In the budget for 1947-48, we had revenue of Rs. 171 crore and expenditure of Rs. 197 crore. Compared to this, in 2013-14, we had revenue of Rs. 10.3 lakh crore and expenditure of Rs. 15.9 lakh crore. There are structural changes taking place due to the dynamic character of the economy and its deep inter-linkages with the global economy. This challenge has to be met with robust policies and programmes. He said that officer trainees of Indian Economic Service will be an important instrument in the task of setting the future destiny of the country.

The President stated that he had a firm belief in the strong resilience of the Indian economy. It had withstood many a crisis due to the contribution, among others, of farmers, industrial workers and policy makers.

Officer Trainees of Indian Economic Service are presently undergoing training at the Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi.