Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also known as the “Iron Man of India,” was a prominent Indian leader who played a key role in India’s struggle for independence and served as India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. Sardar Patel believed that integrity was a foundational value for civil servants and was essential for ensuring the effective functioning of the government.

In a speech delivered on April 21, 1947, Sardar Patel emphasized the importance of integrity for civil servants. He said, “The first and foremost thing that I would like to impress upon the civil servants is that they should possess impeccable integrity. This is the bedrock on which the edifice of the public service has to be built.”

Sardar Patel believed that civil servants should be honest, ethical, and principled in their actions and decisions. He believed that integrity was critical in ensuring that civil servants acted in the best interests of the public and upheld high standards of professionalism and accountability.

Sardar Patel also believed that integrity was essential for maintaining the trust and confidence of the public in the government. In a speech delivered on July 1, 1947, he said, “The civil servant must remember that he is a servant of the people and not a master. He must carry the people with him in all that he does, and his integrity must be above suspicion.”