Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged trainee civilservants to get bureaucracy rid of negative public perception by adoptin

'soft power' and improving 'ease of living' for the commonman. Addressing 430 trainee civil servants near the Statue of Unity at Kevadiyain Narmada district, Modi asked them to try to bring a lasting solution to abigger problem instead of attempting to tackle many problems simultaneously."The presence of silos and hierarchy doesn't help our system. Whoever weare, wherever we are, we have to work together for the nation," he added.

"During your service, try to focus on one district-oneproblem-total solution. Instead of trying to solve all the problems at once,solve one problem and win the trust of people. This will automatically lead togreater participation of people," said Modi.Prior to his address near thestatue, dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in the evening, he interactedwith trainee officers of the 94th Civil Services Foundation Course at 'Aarambh'conference held at Tent City near Kevadiya.

"Bureaucracy and system are used in negative terms nowadays.You do not have to prefix 'bad' before these words. Though many officers arevery honest, a negative perception has been built."You need to take thebureaucracy out of this image. Instead of 'hard power', make 'soft power' youridentity. Implement a simple system right from giving an appointment tillhearing," said Modi. He urged budding bureaucrats to restart someforgotten past practices such as night halt for district collectors and passingon notes, the wherein outgoing officer used to hand over a note to thesuccessor containing important information about work done to date andmentioning present issues.The PM said though social media is not alwaysreliable, it can still be used as a tool to get feedback from people

"You also need to listen to your dissidents. This willhelp you in creating depth in your vision. Sitting in AC cabins, everythinglooks alright. Civil servants have their own circle of officers."This willprevent you from understanding the real problems being faced by people. You allneed to come out of this comfort zone and connect with people," said Modi.He said bureaucrats should always strive to make the life of common peopleeasier and comfortable.

"Always keep in mind that you owe to this country andits people. You are there because of them. So always try to make their liveseasier.

"Today's citizens are more aware, more evolved and moresensitive. They are always ready to take up causes upon one request from thegovernment. Thus, you need to bring in 'ease of living' for them. You need tobe proactive to make

their lives easier," he said. On the Centre's vision ofmaking India a USD 5 trillion economy in the next five years, Modi saidbureaucrats

can play a crucial role in achieving this target by focusingon promoting economic activities at district level."You need to taketimely and clear decisions to achieve big targets. Some officers hesitate totake decisions. This ultimately costs the country. "We do not expectstatus quo from you. And, we are also bringing in various administrativereforms to ensure that

you work freely," said Modi in his address.

These 430 trainee civil servants are at Kevadiya since thelast one week as part of the Aarambh Foundation Course, jointly organised bythe Department of Personnel and Training and the Lal Bahadur Shastri NationalAcademy of Administration, Mussoorie. Modi, during his interaction with theseofficers, said

"This course, Aarambh, is nation-centric andfuture-centric. "It will usher a paradigm shift in administration, wherebypeople stop working on silos. Instead, people work together and in acomprehensive manner," he said. On the occasion, Modi recalled thecontribution of

independent India's first home minister, Sardar Patel, inthe development of civil services.

"The Indian Civil Service (now called IndianAdministrative Service) owes a lot to Sardar Patel. From here in Kevadia, wherethe 'Statue of Unity' is, may we all find inspiration and vigour to dosomething for our nation," he said. Earlier, Modi paid tribute to SardarPatel on his

144th birth anniversary.