The last 11 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw democratisation of Civil Services with democratisation of youth aspiration, said Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

In an exclusive interview to Doordarshan News, Singh stated that at one time, the IAS and Civil Services were confined only to a handful of states like Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Kerala. “Today, we get toppers from the States which earlier hardly figured in the civil services list toppers from Punjab, Haryana and J&K,” he pointed.

Citing the case of Parsanjit Kour, the young girl from Poonch, a border district in J&K, who made it to All India Rank 11 in the Civil Services Exam of 2022 in very first attempt or the boy from Punjab, Anmol Sher Singh Bedi who was All India Rank 2 in the Civil Services Exam of 2016, Singh said that this has restored faith in the objectivity and equal opportunity offered by the system and, thus also led to democratisation of youth aspiration.

“This is the true essence of democracy—where every mother, regardless of her socio-economic standing, has the confidence to believe that her child can reach the top," said Dr Jitendra Singh.

Jitendra Singh said, “What generations longed for over decades has been made possible in just over a decade,” he stated, adding that PM Modi has wiped the tears of the past and replaced them with eyes full of hope and future aspirations.

According to the Minister, the PM’s historic 2016 call of "Start-Up India, Stand-Up India" has broadened the employment horizon beyond traditional government jobs.

“It was only then people realized that job doesn’t only mean "Sarkari Naukri", but also innovation, enterprise, and start-ups,” he said.