Mark Twain's Death Anniversary

Mark Twain, who passed away on 21 April 1910, in Redding, Connecticut, aged 74, was an American humorist, journalist, lecturer, and novelist who acquired international fame for his travel narratives, especially The Innocents Abroad (1869), Roughing It (1872), and Life on the Mississippi (1883), and for his adventure stories of boyhood, especially The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). A gifted raconteur, distinctive humorist, and irascible moralist, he transcended the apparent limitations of his origins to become a popular public figure and one of America’s best and most beloved writers.

National Civil Services Day (India)

 

To acknowledge and honour the work of civil servants engaged in public service, the backbone of the nation’s administration, the Government of India celebrates National Civil Services Day on April 21 every year in India. 

This day commemorates the address given by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of Independent India, to probationary officers in 1947, where he referred to civil servants as ‘the steel frame of India,’ thereby serving as a reminder to reflect on their services and reaffirm their commitment to serving citizens. 

The observance of the day entails the recognition and motivation of civil service officers, the evaluation of departmental performance, and the presentation of awards for excellence in public administration.

Each year on this occasion, the Prime Minister confers the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration upon districts and implementing units for their exemplary achievements in priority programme implementation and innovation categories.