Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday underlined the contribution of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) cadre in keeping the Indians settled abroad connected with their roots.The chief minister made these remarks while personally congratulating Amritsar’s Anmol Sher Singh Bedi, who called on him at his official residence here this evening, for securing the all India second rank in the prestigious UPSC civil services examination in his first attempt.Anmol was accompanied by his parents at the meeting, facilitated by Raveen Thukral, Media Advisor to CM. The chief minister offered sweets to the youngster and his family to celebrate Anmol’s remarkable achievement, which he said had done the state proud. Captain Amarinder was optimistic that Anmol, with his enthusiasm and commitment, would bring more glory to Punjab.The 23-year-old youth, who wants to join IFS with the aim to play an important role in the country’s global growth story, shared his aspirations with the chief minister.A humble Anmol told the chief minister he applied for IFS as he was not sure of getting the IAS home cadre. His father Dr Sarabjit Bedi also shared with the Captain Amarinder the family’s apprehensions about Anmol’s prospects, recalling that Anmol did not prepare as hard as people normally do for the country’s toughest exam.Anmol told the chief minister he wanted to study Mandarin, which had emerged as an important language of the South-East Asian region. Captain Amarinder said his government was planning to start foreign languages in the state’s schools.The chief minister also spoke about the poor education standards in Punjab’s government schools and said his government was striving to improve the same through a series of initiatives.