NCGG expanding capacity to train higher number of civil servants from more countries

The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) is expanding its capacity to train more civil servants from different countries with a rise in demand for its programmes such as those in public policy and governance, the institute said on Sunday.

Set up in 2014 by the government as an apex-level institution under the the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, the NCGG is mandated to work in areas of public policy, governance, reforms and capacity building of civil servants of the country as well as those of other developing nations.

"In partnership with the Ministry of External affairs (MEA), the NCGG has taken up the responsibility to build the capacities of civil servants of developing countries," the NCGG said in a statement.

"So far, it (NCGG) has imparted training to civil servants of 15 countries viz. Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Seychelles, Gambia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Laos, Vietnam, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Cambodia," it said and added that these trainings were found to be highly useful by the officers from different countries.

The NCGG has also been involved in capacity building of civil servants from various states in the country, the statement said.

"These programmes are much sought after and as desired by the MEA, the NCGG is expanding its capacity to accommodate a higher number of civil servants from more countries as demand is on the rise," it said.

For the year 2023–24, the NCGG has effected a three-fold increase in the programmes, it added.

The NCGG completed its flagship capacity building programme (CBP) for the 58th batch of civil servants of Bangladesh and it was attended by 45 officers, the statement said.

The programme focused on imparting knowledge to the officers to design and execute effective public policies and programmes to improve the quality of life of citizens.

Director General, NCGG, Bharat Lal, urged the officers to be responsive to the need of people and stressed on the critical importance of redressing public grievances in a time-bound manner.

He also appreciated the developmental partnership between India and Bangladesh, and said this programme is an effort to empower participants towards new developmental initiatives among other things.

Lal highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mantra of "minimum government, maximum governance" and urged the public servants to reduce the gap between citizens and the government.

He also pointed out that modern technology is a great enabler in bringing transparency and accountability. "One should learn and adopt these modern tools of information and communication technology (ICT) to better serve the people," Lal said.

He cited the examples of Aadhaar, Jal Jeevan Mission, and how subsidies are being transferred to millions of farmers in just one click as technology is facilitating the delivery of services to citizens.

"Technology has brought tremendous efficiency in public service delivery and we must use it more," the NCGG chief said.

Lal also stressed on the importance of building and maintaining modern infrastructure for larger public good and focused on the importance of having a continuous system of feedback.

He urged them to work closely with people and various other stakeholders such as community-based organisations, self-help groups and civil society organisations to ensure that policies and programmes are developed in a participatory manner and are also environment, climate and disaster resilient.

So far, with the support of the MEA and in close cooperation with the Indian Mission in Dhaka, the NCGG has trained about 2,055 civil servants of Bangladesh, the statement said.

In this programme the NCGG shared various initiatives taken in the country such as changing paradigm of governance, rejuvenation of rivers with special reference to Ganga, leveraging digital technology: changing rural landscape of India – the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), public-private partnership in infrastructure development, land administration, ethics in administration, and digital governance for healthcare.