HYDERABAD: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday called upon civil services officers to treat their profession as a public service, uphold integrity and honesty at all times and develop a passion towards duty. ‘‘Develop a passion to give your best and not just perform assigned duty mechanically and routinely,” he said.

Addressing the officers of All India Services, Central Civil Services, and Military Engineering Services, who are attending foundation courses at the MCRHRD institute here on Friday,  he asked them to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth by providing good governance.

Stating that good governance was one of the key elements for India to  achieve the desired growth trajectory, Venkaiah wanted the officers to take steps to provide efficient and effective delivery of public services. Expressing concern over the rising gap between urban and rural areas, he  called for concerted efforts to bridge the divide and asked the officers to attach high priority to agriculture.  “All of you must spare a thought for the less fortunate and reflect on what needs to be done as the representative of the government in your domain,” he said.

Pointing out that the ultimate aim of every government policy or scheme was to improve the living standards of the common man, he said “you should act as the bridge between the government and the people.’’

Pointing out that corruption was eating into the vitals of the system, he asked the officials to take up elimination of corruption as a mission.

He asserted that despite the global slowdown, India continues to be one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. He said that by continuing growth-oriented reforms, India has the potential to become the third-largest economy soon.

Director General of MCRHRD Institute, B P Acharya said that the role of the civil services has assumed much importance in the wake of several fissiparous tendencies facing the nation today.