Rama Krishna Sangem
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the name of his Prime Minister Office, or PMO as popularly known, as Seva Teerth, the place of service. This is in tune with his line of thinking on high officers and their purpose in the country.
Prime Minister’s Office or the PMO will be renamed Seva Teerth, in line with citizen-first governance, sources have told the media on December 2. Seva Teerth, say sources, will be a workplace designed to reflect the spirit of service and where national priorities are shaped.
The new complex, which is in the final stages of completion, was earlier known as the ‘Executive Enclave’ under the Central Vista Redevelopment project. Besides the PMO, the ‘Executive Enclave’ will also comprise offices of the Cabinet Secretariat, National Security Council Secretariat and India House, which will be a venue for high-level talks with visiting dignitaries.
Service motto of renaming
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the spaces of governance have been reshaped to reflect ‘kartavya (duty)’ and transparency, sources said, adding every name, every building and every symbol now points to a simple idea: government exists to serve.
The names of Raj Bhavans – the official residence of Governors – is also being changed to Lok Bhavan in keeping with the government’s motto of public service. The Prime Minister’s official residence was renamed Lok Kalyan Marg in 2016. A name that conveys welfare, not exclusivity, sources said. Earlier, these high profile addresses – Raj Bhavan or 7 Race Course Road, New Delhi were symbols of power and aristocracy, a sort of inaccessibility to common people.
The Central Secretariat has been renamed Kartavya Bhavan. The Bhavan, sources said, is a vast administrative hub built around the idea that public service is a commitment. Similarly, Rajpath became Kartavya Path, telegraphing the message that power is not an entitlement; it is a duty. Indian democracy, sources added, is choosing responsibility over power and service over status.
A shift in names is also a shift in mindset, which today speak the language of seva, kartavya and citizen-first governance, sources said, Whether simple change of names of these power offices will also influence the minds of officials sit over there is to be seen. Otherwise, the change of names will have little bearing or serve the purpose of PM Modi.
