PTI
 
New Delhi, Jun 23: Using the occasion of the World Public Service Day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday told civil servants to ensure that the decision-making process is transparent and that government spending did not give rise to corruption.

Observing that the Right to Information Act empowered people to secure information on matters relating to governance and policy, he said, "I do believe that free citizens in free societies must not live in fear of arbitrary governments. This too is an important responsibility of the civil services."

In a message on the occasion, Singh said, "Nearly a third of national expenditure is accounted for by the government. It is very important that this expenditure is wisely incurred, and that decisions are taken democratically and transparently." Noting that in modern societies, people expected governments to deliver basic services like education, healthcare and water, he said the UN Millenium Development Goals cannot be met unless governments are pro-active.

"Unless people view government as their benefactor, governments will not be able to raise resources or maintain law and order. But government is nothing more than the people who make it work," Singh said adding public service "is nothing more than helping people help themselves".

He said he did not believe that government needed to interfere in the process of wealth creation and on the contrary, the administration must create the space in which the creativity and enterprise of people can freely express itself.