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Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that 2016 India yearns for youth centric approach.

In his Convocation address, after presenting degrees, diplomas and medals to the successful candidates of the 41st Advanced Professional Programme in Public Administration (APPPA) here today, organised by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) with the support of Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has placed before us the objective of citizen centric governance and now, it is for us to realise that in contemporary India, where more than 65% population is below the age of 35 years, citizen centric approach, essentially implies youth centric approach not only in governance but also in framing of future policies for the years to come.

For the Union Government, which is guided by Deen Dayal Upadhyay's principle of “Antyodaya”, Dr Jitendra Singh said the ultimate test of good governance, good administration and good democracy is whether or not its benefits have reached the last man in the last queue. In the case of today’s India, this would automatically imply “last youth in the last queue”. He said, young citizen of India today is not only aspirational but is also ready to experiment and the policy planners of the country will also have to live up to these changed expectations.

Expressing satisfaction at the fact that a number of recipients who were awarded degrees today belonged to the Armed Forces, Dr Jitendra Singh congratulated DoPT and IIPA for having taken the initiative of imparting training in public administration simultaneously to Army officers and Civil Service officers under the same roof. This, he said, assumes special significance because of the experience of the last few years when the Army personnel and the Civil Service officers are called to function jointly in several parts of the country, particularly in more sensitive areas like Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. Dr Jitendra Singh praised the Armed Forces for the service and contribution rendered by them to civil society during peacetime in recent years. Army has proved its capability in works related to social welfare, education and rural development, he added.

While assuring that DoPT will continue to render appropriate support to IIPA and other such organisations in organising similar programmes in future as well, Dr Jitendra Singh expressed the hope that those who go back after undergoing these courses and securing degrees are actually able to put to use the skills and knowledge acquired.

Director IIPA, Dr T. Chatterjee, and Chairman IIPA & former Governor of Karnataka, Shri T. N. Chaturvedi also spoke on the occasion.

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