President Murmu to Young IAS Officers: Lead with Sensitivity, Not Sentiment

Young officers of the Indian Administrative Service received a powerful directive from the nation's highest constitutional authority on Tuesday. President Droupadi Murmu, addressing the 2024-batch IAS officers serving as Assistant Secretaries in various Union Ministries during their courtesy call at Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 20, 2026, underscored the elevated expectations placed on the civil services as India advances towards ambitious growth targets. The President called on the officers to remain agile learners, capable of functioning across diverse areas while guiding specialist teams. She laid particular emphasis on the need to balance compassion with rational judgement, encapsulated in her memorable counsel: "Be sensitive without being sentimental." Neutrality, transparency, and unwavering integrity were highlighted as non-negotiable professional values. President Murmu also flagged the cost of administrative inaction, equating undue delays in decision-making with a denial of public interest. She urged the young officers to remain attentive to the concerns raised by elected representatives and to keep the most vulnerable sections of society at the core of their service, in pursuit of the vision of a developed, inclusive 'Viksit Bharat'.