Deepen engagement with people: PM to young diplomats

New Delhi, Aug 24: The Officer Trainees of the 2025 Batch of Indian Foreign Service (IFS) called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Seva Teerth earlier today. The group comprised 50 IFS Officer Trainees who come from different States and UTs across the country.
During the interaction, Prime Minister called upon the young diplomats to build strong grassroots-level engagement in their countries of posting and deepen India’s connection with local communities. He emphasised that Indian Missions should foster meaningful relationships not only with governments and institutions but also with people at the community level. He encouraged the Officer Trainees to expand their networks beyond traditional diplomatic circles and deepen engagement with people. Prime Minister encouraged them to combine India’s civilisational strengths with technology, innovation and effective communication to further strengthen India’s global engagement.
Prime Minister called upon the Officer Trainees to serve as catalytic agents for India’s economic engagement with the world. He also emphasised the importance of strengthening the digital presence of Indian Missions. He said that a website is often the first gateway through which people interact with an institution and called for greater use of technology to make the delivery of consular and other services more seamless, responsive and citizen-centric.
Prime Minister urged the Officer Trainees to work towards making India a more attractive global tourism destination by showcasing its civilisational, cultural and geographical strengths. He suggested leveraging the “Bharat ko Janiye” (Know India) Quiz to generate greater interest in India among young people across the world and encouraged the use of AI and gaming to make such initiatives more engaging.
The Officer Trainees shared their experiences from training and Bharat Darshan. They also spoke about the importance of understanding India’s civilisational and cultural links with the world.