A group of Officer Trainees of Indian Foreign Service (2021 batch) called on the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (September 29, 2022). 

Addressing the Officers Trainees, the President said that it is going to be all the more exciting as they are beginning their career in Foreign Service at a time when India has emerged on the world stage with a new self-confidence. The world, too, is looking at India with new admiration. The recent years have witnessed new initiatives in our bilateral and multilateral relations. In several global forums, India has made decisive interventions. India’s leadership in several fields has become unchallenged now. India also plays an important role in the developing South and as a frontline State in the fight against terrorism. 

The President said that India’s stronger position comes on the basis of its economic performance, among other factors. While leading economies of the world are still trying to overcome the effects of the pandemic, India has stood up again and started to move on. As a result, India’s economy is registering one of the fastest growth rates. In fact, the global economic recovery, to an extent, rests on India. The other reason for India’s standing on the world stage is its ethos. Our relations with the rest of the world are governed by our age-old values. She said that the Indian Foreign Service offers them a unique opportunity to project India’s proud civilisation, heritage and culture, together with its developmental aspirations, to the rest of the world. 

Referring to the changes taking place around the world, the President said that ongoing transformations on multiple fronts offer great opportunities as well as great challenges. New technologies give us hopes of better healthcare, for example, but they threaten existing business practices too. We can use technology to reach out to those on the margins. At the same time, technology also resets the security paradigm with new threats. As a nation, we have before us a chance to reset our choices. 

The President said that it is amid this fast-changing world, with its opportunities and threats, the role of Indian Foreign Service Officers becomes critical – more so than ever before. Navigating through these difficult waters and ensuring the best for India and also for the world will test their intelligence. She expressed confidence that they will respond to the challenges of the future in the best possible manner, in the best interests of the fellow citizens.

Click here to see the President's Speech

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