India Concludes Successful Capacity Building Program for Sri Lankan Civil Servants

New Delhi: The two-week 2nd capacity-building program for civil servants of Sri Lanka, organized by the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), concluded on March 8, 2024. The program, conducted at Mussoorie and New Delhi, witnessed the participation of 40 officers serving in various capacities, including Directors, Deputy Directors, Municipal Secretaries, Divisional Secretaries, Assistant Divisional Secretaries, Deputy Commissioners, Deputy Land Commissioners, Provincial Directors, Assistant Chief Secretary, and Provincial Sport Director, among others. These capacity-building programs for Sri Lankan civil servants are conducted under the ITEC program of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The young civil servants from Sri Lanka were encouraged to embrace technology to foster closer ties between citizens and the government, pursue the digital transformation of institutions, and empower citizens digitally. The program covered a range of topics, including the changing paradigm of governance, disaster management, leadership and communication, Digital India, Government e-Marketplace (GeM), Swamitva scheme, efficient public service delivery, Housing for All scheme, digital governance in healthcare, and Mudra Yojana, among others. Additionally, the participants undertook exposure visits to the District Collectorate Haridwar to enhance their overall learning experience. Field visits to esteemed institutions such as the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, and the iconic Taj Mahal provided practical insights into governance and societal dynamics.

The valedictory session was chaired by V. Srinivas, Director General (DG) of the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) & Secretary, Department of Administrative Reform and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India. Srinivas highlighted the pivotal role of technology in effective governance, emphasizing its use in transforming institutions and organizations while delivering services in an efficient, transparent, and corruption-free manner, bringing citizens closer to the government.

The entire capacity-building program was supervised by Dr. A. P. Singh, Course Coordinator, Dr. Mukesh Bhandari, Associate Course Coordinator, Brijesh Bisht, Training Assistant, and the capacity-building team of NCGG. In partnership with the MEA, NCGG has successfully imparted training to civil servants from 17 countries, including Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Seychelles, Gambia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Cambodia.