Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged bureaucrats to assess whether a political party is using taxpayers’ money for the welfare of the country or for its own benefit, and said lapses could lead to the country’s money being drained.

Addressing bureaucrats at an event here to mark the 16th Civil Services Day, Modi said the basis of every civil servant’s decision should only be the interest of the country. “In your every decision you have to take care of certain questions, whether the ruling party is using taxpayers’ money in the nation’s interest or for its own organisation’s interests,” Modi said. “You have to see to it…whether the political party is using government money for its own expansion and creating vote bank politics or to make the lives of people easier.” The prime minister said bureaucrats should ascertain whether the ruling party is using taxpayers’ money to advertise itself or for people’s awareness, and also “whether it is appointing its own workers in institutions or adopting transparency in appointments”.

He stressed that civil servants should “evaluate whether political parties are changing policies to create new avenues of black money”. Recalling the words of Sardar Patel about the bureaucracy being the steel frame of India, he said now is the time to realise his expectations, because “if the bureaucracy lapses, then the country’s money will be looted, taxpayers’ money will be destroyed, the dreams of the youth of the country will be shattered”.

Emphasising on adopting an active attitude in governance, Modi told bureaucrats, especially those who joined the services in the last one decade, that they should have the approach of “getting things done”, not that of “letting things happen”. Modi also awarded several bureaucrats, including Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and DPIIT secretary Anurag Jain on the work done by their respective ministries.