UPSC has upheld merit, fairness, excellence, and integrity, maintaining dignity and credibility as one of the country’s most respected Constitutional bodies. 

This was said by Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Dr. P.K. Mishra while addressing the Plenary Session of UPSC’s Shatabdi Sammelan Programme in New Delhi on Thursday.

Generations of civil servants, drawn from India’s diversity, have carried forward ideals of public duty, impartiality, and service to the nation, building institutions, preserving stability, implementing reforms, and upholding constitutional morality, often without recognition.

Tracing its history, Dr. Mishra remarked that the precursor to UPSC was the Public Service Commission established in 1926, later recognized under the Government of India Act, 1935, as the Federal Public Service Commission, before being renamed UPSC after independence. He underscored that conducting examinations for the Civil Services, India’s “steel frame,” remains its most critical function. 

Over decades, UPSC’s examination system has evolved with modern governance while retaining fairness, merit, and equity. Beyond recruitment, UPSC performs vital advisory roles in promotions, deputations, and disciplinary proceedings. 

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Dr. Mishra highlighted the recent Pratibha Setuportal, which securely connects talented candidates who reached the final exam stage with potential employers, linked to the National Career Service, thereby opening new opportunities for youth to contribute to national development.

Dr. Mishra emphasized that India stands at an inflection point in its journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047. He highlighted four aspects. 

First, the world is becoming more interconnected and volatile, with strategic competition spanning technology, supply chains, data, cyber security, artificial intelligence, space, and critical minerals. He remarked that civil servants are managers of uncertainty, interpreters of complexity, and guardians of India’s strategic interests, and their readiness must begin with how they are selected.

Second, he underscored that the pace of technological change has outstripped regulatory adaptation. Breakthroughs in AI, synthetic biology, robotics, and quantum computing demand intellectual agility, ethical grounding, and the ability to engage with innovators and scientists as equals.

Third, he highlighted that India’s development trajectory is shifting from input‑driven growth to capability‑driven growth. He remarked that success must be measured by outcomes, accountability, experimentation, and actual change on the ground. He emphasized that UPSC must select individuals with judgment, flexibility, and lifelong learning capacity.

Fourth, he underlined the emerging global competition for talent. He remarked that India’s civil services must remain magnets for the best minds. He highlighted that aspirational youth, globally exposed and ambitious, seek purpose, autonomy, challenge, and impact, and civil services must communicate these qualities more actively and clearly.

He highlighted that officers must think across domains, operate across sectors, and anchor their work in humility, integrity, and purpose. He remarked that they must engage with data as confidently as with people, balance ethical judgment with administrative competence, and remain continuous learners even as they lead.