Arvind Kejriwal asks successful UPSC candidates to not become slaves of written words

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvijnd Kejriwal on Friday advised a group of 50 candidates who have cleared Union Public Service Commission examination this year and paid a visit to the CM, to not become a slave of the written word.
“I have observed that a lot of officers become slaves of the written word. Laws are made to serve people, not the other way around. If there is more than one interpretation of law, then take the one that benefits the people,” he told the visitors.
Kejriwal said bureaucrats have extraordinary powers and those who want to achieve something for the country have a very big opportunity to do that.“All of us have a privileged background. Take my education for example. I studied at IIT Kharagpur where my fee at that time was Rs 32 a month. It is obvious that engineering education cannot cost just Rs 32, so just imagine the level of subsidy my education at IIT involved. Similarly, whether it is to become a doctor, engineer or anything else, our education is heavily subsidised by the people of this country. The country has contributed a lot in our education,” he said.
He added that after the officers join the services, the country takes responsibility for vehicle, home, job and other facilities provided to them and thus the country expects something in return. “You have to give back two to three times of that back to the country,” CM said.

Referring to the visitors, Kejriwal said: “We all join with a lot of idealism. More than 90% of us join with idealism, but over time we become part of the system. That is something which is wrong. Life should be exciting and these services do give you a lot of excitement. You will have infinite opportunities to do something, whether you join the IAS, IPS, IRS.”
He stated that often, the bureaucracy has a tendency to delay people's work so that their importance in the system grows. “When you do that, you might become more important for people, but you will not earn their respect. People will step out of your office and curse you. I know some bureaucrats who serve the people in such a way that people mourn their transfers. They protest against the transfer of such officers. Aspire to become officers who are loved by the people. That will only happen when you serve the people,” Kejriwal said asking them to remain very accessible throughout their careers.