President Murmu Urges IIS and ISS Trainee Officers to Enhance Governance Quality, Citizen Engagement, and Evidence-Based Policy-Making for Viksit Bharat
Distilled Policy Brief
- President Droupadi Murmu addressed trainee officers of the Indian Information Service (IIS) and Indian Statistical Service (ISS) on August 19, 2026, emphasizing their shared goal of improving governance quality and serving the nation.
- She advised IIS officers to utilize social media platforms not only for information dissemination and connecting people but also for actively listening to, understanding, and resolving public concerns, while ensuring accuracy and reliability.
- For ISS officers, the President highlighted their critical role in generating accurate, timely, and reliable data for evidence-based policy-making, urging them to enhance data accessibility for citizens, researchers, and policy-makers to contribute to 'Viksit Bharat'.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
The Indian Information Service (IIS) operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the Indian Statistical Service (ISS) operates under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
The President's guidance to IIS officers on leveraging social media for active listening and problem-solving, and to ISS officers on enhancing data accessibility for evidence-based policy, reflects a strategic push towards citizen-centric governance and data-driven decision-making essential for India's development trajectory towards 2047.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
During her address to trainee officers of the Indian Information Service (IIS) on 19 August 2026, President Droupadi Murmu emphasized that social media platforms should be used:
- [A] Only for disseminating government information and connecting citizens
- [B] To listen to, understand and resolve public concerns while ensuring accuracy
- [C] Primarily for political campaigning by the officers
- [D] For personal branding and career promotion of the officers
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
The President specifically advised IIS officers to use social media not just for information dissemination and connecting people, but also for actively listening to, understanding and resolving public concerns, with a focus on accuracy and reliability. The other options are not mentioned in the briefing.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.