Training program conducted for Maldivian, Bangladesh Civil Servants under ITEC

There was similarity in the District Administrative set-ups in South Asia, with Bangladesh and Maldives having similar civil service career paths.

The National Centre for Good Governance is conducting a Special Training Program for Maldivian Civil Servants and Bangladesh Civil Servants under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program (ITEC) from September 16-28, 2019 at Mussoorie and Delhi. Shri K.V. Eapen, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) and Shri V. Srinivas, Additional Secretary, DARPG addressed  33 Maldivian Civil Servants and 31 Bangladesh Civil Servants in a Joint Session on “Public Policy and Governance” at the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Mussoorie.

In the Chairman’s remarks, Shri K.V. Eapen said that India’s Governance model is witnessing a digital revolution and development has become a people’s movement to bring together innovation, technology, enterprise for efficient management of resources and successful implementation of priority programs. The emphasis has also been to provide clean and fair public administration. Further, the universal implementation of Aadhar has enabled in reducing the digital divide. India has witnessed an expansion in internet access with high-speed internet connectivity in many parts of the country that has enabled the promotion of technology-enabled interventions in health care, education, energy, next-generation financial services, and e-governance. There was similarity in the District Administrative set-ups in South Asia, with Bangladesh and Maldives having similar civil service career paths. He further added that the special training program offers a unique opportunity for the exchange of information amongst Nation States of South Asia.

As the lead speaker, Shri V.Srinivas, Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances said that there has been a significant scaling up in the implementation of priority sector programs, and the digital transformation in India’s governance is visible. India’s progress is best seen through 120 crore Aadhar cards, rising numbers of e-transactions since the launch of Digital India, Common Service Centres, Jan Dhan Accounts, 85 percent coverage in construction of toilets and above all the 2nd largest digital consumer base with the benefits of technology being accepted by rural societies. Technological progress is visible in all welfare-state programs with direct benefits transfer schemes and digital payments using UPI and BHIM applications. The New India 2022 has focused on priority sector schemes of Swachh Bharat, Skill India, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Startup India and Make In India schemes. India has witnessed a significant number of success stories in the campaign to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Further Shri V. Srinivas said that India adopted a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, with strong institutional and legislative frameworks to fight corruption, preventive vigilance practices, and stronger auditing and accounting practices.

During discussions, the Civil Servants of Maldives and Bangladesh appreciated the progress made by India in the areas of digital governance. The Maldives and Bangladesh civil servants sought to understand India’s policies for interoperability of systems, norms regarding sharing of data, use of telemedicine facilities, stakeholder participation in rural development programs, use of robust data sets for decision making, politician-civil servant relationship and guidelines for grievance redressal.

Following discussions, Mrs. Fatimath Amira, the Member of the Civil Services Commission of Maldives thanked the Indian authorities for the unique opportunity to understand the best practices of India’s governance model.

The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), India’s leading civil services training institution, has been training Civil Servants from a number of countries in South Asia and Africa. Over the next 5 years, the NCGG will conduct training for 1800 civil servants of Bangladesh and 1000 civil servants of Maldives.

(With Inputs from PIB)