New Delhi, April 21, 2017: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday cautioned civil servants against using social media for self-propagation of their work and said he had banned mobiles in his meetings to prevent diversion.

Addressing a function on the Civil Services Day here, Modi said anonymity of civil service had been a strength but this appears to be getting weak.

He said he understands the power of social media and it should be used to improve systems and to connect better with the people.

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"If I as a government official use social media to disseminate information about the next date of a vaccination programme, it is very useful.

"But if I post my pictures on Facebook showing my participation in the programme, then I become a question mark for anonymity of bureaucrats.

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"Today I see district level officers — they are so busy, busy, busy… most of their time goes in this," he remarked.

"In fact, in my meetings I have banned the entry of mobiles, otherwise anyone would take out (their mobile) and start," he said with a chuckle.

Modi said judiciousness should be used in the use of social media as it is a way to improve the connect with people. (IANS)