India and Sri Lanka Foster Collaboration in Administrative Reforms and Governance

New Delhi: In a significant development aimed at enhancing cooperation in personnel administration and governance, bilateral delegation-level talks were held today in New Delhi between Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DAR&PG), Shri V. Srinivas, and Secretary to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mr. Anura Dissanayake.

The Sri Lankan delegation, comprising Dr. Dharmasri Kumaratunga, Secretary, Ministry of Technology; Mr. Pradeep Yasarathna, Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils, and Local Government; and Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewe, Director-General, Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), engaged in fruitful discussions with their Indian counterparts. Senior officials from DARPG, including Shri NBS Rajput, Shri Puneet Yadav, and Smt. Jaya Dubey, actively participated in the deliberations.

A key focus of the talks was the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SLIDA and the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), outlining plans for conducting Capacity Building Programmes (CBP) for senior and mid-level civil servants in Sri Lanka. The collaborative efforts aim to leverage the expertise of NCGG to enhance the skills and capabilities of Sri Lankan officials.

During the discussions, the Director of SLIDA presented a comprehensive Capacity Building Plan for the Island Service Officers of Sri Lanka over the next five years. The plan includes collaboration in developing training curricula and conducting hybrid-mode training for 1000 officials across various seniority levels.

On the Indian side, key capabilities in Administrative Reforms and Recognizing Meritocracy were showcased, emphasizing the Prime Minister’s Awards Scheme for Public Administration. The discussions also touched upon handling Public Grievances through effective Redressal by employing Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning in CPGRAMS. Additionally, the Indian delegation highlighted initiatives to improve service delivery through the promotion of e-Governance, including Unified Service Portals, mandatory e-Services, and the strengthening of e-Office and its Analytics.

The contours of this collaborative effort are set to be formalized in an MOU, reflecting the commitment of both nations to advancing administrative reforms and governance. This marks a significant step towards fostering stronger ties between India and Sri Lanka in the realm of public administration and governance.