China is a ‘phenomenon’,must study its rise,PM tells young IFS officers

Singh,who is believed to have spoken with a lot of candour,stressed on the importance of relationships in the country’s neighbourhood.

“While we should work for maintaining peace in the region,we should also be ready for the emergencies that may arise because of the presence of not-so-friendly neighbours,” he told the probationers at his Race Course Road residence.

He said global power was shifting eastwards,and “it is upon us to ensure that we do not miss the bus”.

The PM congratulated the group — which included 11 women — on their success in a very difficult examination,but underlined that their “education does not end with clearing the UPSC examination”,and that the probationers “must continue to learn”.

He told them that IFS officers were the carriers of India’s message to the world,and they must,therefore,keep themselves updated on developments in the country. Singh added that India’s foreign policy was not divorced from its domestic policies,and the probationers must constantly think about how to eradicate the challenges of poverty,illiteracy and unemployment facing the country.

Sources said the PM repeated the famous quote by Victor Hugo that he had used as finance minister in the pathbreaking budget speech of 1991 — “No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come” — and asked the young officers to project the image of an India that wants to work with the globalised world.

India,Singh said,needed its economy to grow fast,and should aim at a GDP growth rate of 10-12 per cent in the coming years. The nation’s energy security was a prerequisite for that,he added,and asked the diplomats to work towards that goal.

The PM stressed the need for maintaining good relationships with Russia,Britain and Japan among others,and asked the probationers to understand the importance of engagement with Africa,where economic diplomacy was important.

The interaction was attended by senior officials including National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon,Principal Secretary to the PM Pulok Chatterjee,and Dean of the Foreign Service Institute Nengcha Lhouvum.

President Pranab Mukherjee too met the officers. “India’s foreign policy must constantly adapt to the changing world. The world recognises the fact that the bulk of global growth is coming from emerging economies,especially China and India,and India has an important place today in all major international fora like G-20,” Mukherjee said.