Mussoorie: “Develop the ability of connecting with people to serve them better”, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, told the trainee officers of the civil services, here on Friday.

Addressing the officer trainees of the 92nd foundation course at the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) Modi said learning from books was okay but they must also be alert and attentive to the people around them whom they are meant to serve.

The objective of the civil services is the prosperity and well-being of the people, he told the young IAS officers and added that if civil servants imbibe these objectives, the gap between government machinery and the people can be bridged.

Modi also told them that the problem of silos and lack of team spirit among civil servants can be effectively tackled during the initial training at Mussoorie, the statement said.