Civil Services Day: Why is it celebrated?

The role of civil servants is not often acknowledged but they are the ones who keep working in the background to ensure smooth functioning of the public administration.

Every year, on April 21, the public services rendered by these civil servants is celebrated in the form of Civil Services Day.

It was on this day in 1947 that the country's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers in 1947 at Metcalf House, Delhi. He rightly described the civil servants the ‘steel frame of India’.


The first such function was held in Vigyan Bhawan, New delhi 21 April 2006.

To mark this occassion, Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration are presented to Districts/Implementing Units for implementation of Priority programme and innovation categories.

Acknowledgin their role in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister said,"I appreciate their efforts in ensuring India successfully defeats COVID-19. They are working round the clock, assisting those in need and ensuring everyone is healthy."

Country's top bureaucrat, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, also asked all colleagues to remain engaged in the relentless battle against Covid-19.

"On the occasion of civil services day 2020, let us rededicate ourselves to ethical and accountable governance and be the agents for a successful march towards a new India," said Gauba, the country's top bureaucrat.

Every year, the UPSC conducts the civil services examination for lakhs of aspirants who want to serve their nation.