PM Modi Meets Trainee IFS Officers, Asks Them To Deepen Grassroots Global Outreach

According to an official statement, the Prime Minister interacted with the young Foreign Service officers at Seva Teerth. “During the interaction, the Prime Minister emphasised the need for Indian Missions abroad to develop meaningful relationships with people at the community level, as he also encouraged the young officers drawn from different states and Union Territories (UTs), to expand their networks and deepen people-to-people ties to strengthen India’s presence and influence overseas,” it said.

“The Prime Minister also called on the diplomats to combine India’s civilisational strengths with technology, innovation and effective communication to advance the country’s global engagement. He urged them to act as catalytic agents for India’s economic engagement with the world and contribute to creating new opportunities for trade, investment and partnerships,” the statement read.

PM Modi stressed the importance of strengthening the digital presence of Indian Missions, noting that a mission’s website is often the first point of interaction between an institution and people abroad. He called for greater use of technology to make consular and other services more seamless, responsive and citizen-centric.

The Prime Minister also asked the trainee officers to help position India as a more attractive global tourism destination by showcasing its rich civilisational heritage, cultural diversity and geographical strengths. He, during the course of interaction suggested using the “Bharat Ko Janiye” (Know India) Quiz to generate greater interest in India among young people worldwide and encouraged the use of artificial intelligence and gaming to make such initiatives more engaging.

“On their part, the trainees shared experiences from their training programme and Bharat Darshan. They also discussed the importance of understanding India’s longstanding civilisational and cultural links with different parts of the world,” the government said in the statement.

The Prime Minister’s interaction with the new batch of diplomats comes as India seeks to expand its diplomatic outreach beyond formal government-to-government engagement, with greater emphasis on people-to-people connections, technology-driven public services, economic diplomacy and cultural outreach.

The 50 trainee officers, representing diverse regions of the country, are now preparing to carry these priorities into their diplomatic assignments and contribute to strengthening India’s engagement with the wider world.