NCGG Concludes 34th Capacity Building Programme for Maldivian Civil Servants

New Delhi: The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) today celebrated the successful conclusion of its 34th Capacity Building Programme (CBP) for Maldivian civil servants, hosted in collaboration with India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). This two-week program, which ran from October 14-25, is part of an ongoing initiative to train 1,000 Maldivian civil servants under a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the period 2024-2029, signed by India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, and Maldives’ Foreign Minister, Moosa Zameer.

The program was attended by 35 senior civil servants from the Maldives, including Directors, Assistant Directors, Senior Administrators, and other key officials representing essential Maldivian ministries and departments. Through a series of sessions and site visits, the course aimed to share India’s governance best practices, particularly focusing on technological advancements and service delivery improvements.

The valedictory session was presided over by V. Srinivas, Director General of NCGG and Secretary of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India. Reflecting on the success of the first phase of the program (2019-2024), where over 1,000 Maldivian officials received training, Srinivas emphasized the transformative role of technology in improving governance. Highlighting the applications of Direct Benefit Transfers, Aadhar, and digital systems in health, education, and administrative processes, he encouraged participants to implement similar strategies in Maldives for enhanced transparency and efficiency.

During the session, Maldivian participants delivered presentations on key themes: Leveraging Technology for Better Delivery of Services, Effective Governance Process in School Education System, and India-Maldives Relations: Status and Future Areas for Collaboration, offering insights into shared governance challenges and solutions.

Mrs. Fathimath Hilmy, head of the Maldivian delegation and representative from the Department of Education, expressed gratitude on behalf of the participants. She noted the invaluable insights and practical knowledge gained through the program, which they intend to implement in their respective fields.

Dr. B.S. Bisht, Associate Professor and Course Coordinator at NCGG, summarized the program’s objectives and structure, which included sharing governance models, development schemes, and best practices from India. The second week featured visits to prominent institutions, including the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun, AIIMS, National Science Institute, and India’s first Zero Energy Building, Indira Prayavaran Bhawan. The itinerary also included cultural visits, such as to the Taj Mahal, to enrich participants’ understanding of India’s heritage.

Over the years, the NCGG has trained civil servants from 33 countries, including Bangladesh, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan, as part of its global commitment to improving governance capacity.

The program’s coordination was overseen by Dr. B. S. Bisht and his team, including Dr. Sanjeev Sharma and Shri Brijesh Bisht, marking another successful step toward stronger Indo-Maldivian ties in governance and public administration.