New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called upon Armed Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) civil services personnel to continue to hone their skills for efficient policy-making and implementation and execution of reforms being undertaken in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in today’s rapidly changing times. In his address at the 83rd AFHQ Civil Services Day at DRDO Bhawan, he described the civil services as the steel frame of governance. Singh lauded the dedication and hard work of AFHQ personnel in carrying forward the ongoing tasks, including efforts to achieve self-reliance and contribute to the welfare of soldiers.
He said, “You are a vital link between the armed forces and the rest of the civil government. Your capabilities need to be further strengthened for better efficiency.” The Defence Minister said the three services form a major part of the functioning of the Defence Ministry and the AFHQ cadre ensures that the possibility of ‘group-think’ in policy making is negated, resulting in poor decision-making.
“Unprecedented reforms have been carried out in the Ministry of Defence in the last five years, and tremendous progress has been made in many areas. Our achievements have been recognised globally. This has happened due to teamwork. The armed forces and civil services must work together from command headquarters and service headquarters to the ministry for better output. Induction of AFHQ civil service officers in key roles in the Ministry of Defence will improve the quality of decision-making,” he said.
Rajnath Singh called upon the personnel to focus on the core values of honesty, discipline and uniformity. Believing that everyone deserves respect, irrespective of the rank or position, he emphasised that ego must be discarded and the personnel must work as a team. He called for learning from each other, which makes even difficult tasks easier.