I know only 40% English, no hesitation in learning: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

JAIPUR: Addressing the civil servants on the Civil Services Day-2023 at Rajasthan International Centre (RIC), chief minister Ashok Gehlot, in a lighter vein, said that he was very weak in English and understood only 40% of it, referring to the speech delivered by chief guest at the event, former SEBI chairperson M Damodaran.
Emphasising on 'learning new things' till one's last breath, and that he had no hesitation in doing so, Gehlot said he was being briefed by chief secretary Usha Sharma about what was being spoken in English, apart from getting it translated by his private secretary in sheets of papers. Later, Gehlot made the chief secretary sit on his seat (next to Damodaran) and translate in English for Damodaran what was being spoken in Hindi by him.
"Chief secretary Usha Sharmaji knows that I am very weak in English, and therefore, she was briefing me on what was being spoken about (by M Damodaran). But I have my own arrangements as well. I had asked Mr Rishabh Sharma (CM's private secretary) to write in sheets of papers and pass them on to me what was being spoken in English. He was doing it for me," Gehlot said.
"People should not have any ego. One should keep learning till one's last breath. I, too, know a bit of English as much as Mr Damodaran knows Hindi," Gehlot quipped. "But Mr Damodaran's speech was extraordinary," he said.
Exhorting the civil servants, the chief minister said only they could make the Mehngai Raahat Camp a successful campaign. "Everyone will get benefits under the inflation relief camps. Even if registration under a scheme is done after a month, the beneficiaries will get benefits of the schemes from the day it started. The civil servants are there for service. If they work with probity, most of the problems can be solved easily," he said.
"Civil servants have an important role for a strong democracy in the country. Sensitive, transparent and accountable governance is possible only with the participation of civil servants," said Gehlot.
He said that the contribution of public servants was important in realising the vision of the state government to make Rajasthan the No. 1 state of the country by 2030. "The increasing misuse of constitutional institutions in the country is a matter of concern. It is the duty of the public servants that unconstitutional and undemocratic situations are not created in the country," he said.
He said that civil servants should not limit their roles only to government service and should participate in social work as well.