Mussoorie, July 4 (ANI): President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Saturday urged the civil servants to take on a development-centric and people friendly approach in order to avert corruption and play innovative role in the development of the country.

Addressing the Golden Jubliee Celebration of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Musoorie, the President urged the civil servants to find innovative means within the system to make it responsive to the needs of people.

“If you do this, you would have been successful in making the IAS, the Indian Admirable Service. In this way you will have earned the gratitude and good wishes of millions of our people who place so much hope upon you,” Patil said.

She also asked them to transform the image of the administration to bring accountability and transparency in the system.

The Lal Bahaddur Shastri National Academy of Administration is the apex training institution for civil service officers.

The President reached Dehradun on Friday on her three-day visit to Uttarakhand state. Governor and B.L. Joshi, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal welcomed her at the Jolly Grant airport.

The President will attend a dinner hosted by Uttarakhand Governor B L Joshi in her honour this evening.

While on Sunday, Patil is scheduled to visit the Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines before returning to New Delhi. (ANI)