Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged civil servants to serve citizens with utmost ‘seva bhav’, adopt a people-friendly approach and regularly hear public grievances. Interacting with Defence Estates Service trainees, he also stressed understanding citizens’ aspirations and prioritising officers’ physical, mental and spiritual well-being
Published Date – 17 August 2026, 06:21 PM
New Delhi: Civil servants must play a major role with “utmost ‘seva bhav’”, delivering services in a people-friendly manner, and should meet people regularly and listen to their grievances, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Monday.
Singh said this during his interaction with a group of 2025-batch officer trainees of the Indian Defence Estates Service, who are undergoing training at the National Institute of Defence Estates Management (NIDEM) here.
The officer trainees had called on the Union minister, the defence ministry said in a statement. Singh appreciated the role of the Defence Estates department in the management of defence land and municipal administration of the cantonment boards across the country.
He emphasised the role of public servants in meeting the evolving aspirations of citizens. Singh said civil servants “must play a major role with utmost ‘Seva Bhav’, delivering the services in a people-friendly manner”. He added that the officers should meet people regularly and listen to their grievances to understand their concerns and instill a sense of assurance in them.
He emphasised that public servants and budding officers should pay equal attention to their physical and mental well-being, urging them to follow a spiritual path and practise meditation. Director General, Defence Estates, Shobha Gupta was also present during the interaction.