Centre urging Indians working abroad to return: PM’s Principal Secretary PK Mishra

Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Dr P K Mishra, on Saturday said under its Capacity Building Commission, the Centre had been encouraging Indians working abroad to return to the country.

He was addressing the convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai.

On the sidelines of the event, when reporters asked him whether the government was telling Indians working overseas to return to the country, he said, “We have been encouraging them and also it is part of our Capacity Building Commission.” His statement comes in the wake of the US government’s massive hike in H-1B visa fee.

He added that India has emerged as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem with over 100 unicorns and 1.9 lakh startups.

Addressing global challenges, Dr Mishra outlined the complexities of the current economic landscape, citing the Covid-19 pandemic, trade wars, geopolitical tensions, climate change, and technological disruptions.

He affirmed that despite global challenges and complexities of the economic landscape India is progressing with courage and confidence under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

Focusing on human resource development, Mishra emphasized that technical skill alone is not sufficient. He stressed the importance of attitude, teamwork, openness, mutual respect, humility, ethics, transparency, and objectivity. “Team work is probably much more important than individual brilliance,” he remarked.

On human resource development, he urged graduates to embrace continuous learning, noting that knowledge becomes obsolete in a fast-changing world. He underscored the challenge of instilling values in large organizations and the need for sustained motivation.

Speaking on the evolving architecture of administrative reforms, Dr PK Mishra emphasised the strategic shift in personnel management since 2014, aimed at building a 21st-century civil service. “A key reform has been the overhaul of the empanelment process for senior positions such as Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary, and Secretary to the Government of India,” he said.

Moving beyond the limitations of annual assessment reports, he said the government introduced a Multi-Source Feedback (MSF) system in 2016. This system incorporates evaluations from seniors, juniors, peers, and external stakeholders, assessing attributes such as decision-making, ownership, delivery, proactiveness and reputation for integrity.

Mishra highlighted that the reform has widened the talent pool, with strong credibility in the fairness of selections. Domain expertise, aptitude, and reputation now guide appointments across the Central Government and PSUs. He emphasised that these changes have been sustained for nearly a decade, quietly reshaping governance to meet the aspirations of a fast-evolving India. (With PTI inputs)