Over Rs 257 cr in budget for Personnel Ministry to train bureaucrats in India and abroad

Over Rs 257 crore has been allocated to the Personnel Ministry for the next financial year for domestic and foreign training of bureaucrats and augmenting necessary infrastructure, according to the Budget 2021-22 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.

Of the total allocation of Rs 257.35 crore for 2021-22, Rs 178.32 crore has been earmarked for upgradation of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie to a centre of excellence, augmentation of training facilities at the Delhi-based Institute of Secretariat Training and Management (ISTM), and the National Programme for Civil Services & Capacity Building -- Mission Karmayogi, among others.

The LBSNAA and the ISTM conduct several training programmes for Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and all other levels of secretarial functionaries with exposure to rules, regulations and aptitude.

The Union Cabinet had in September last year given nod to the Mission Karmayogi, dubbed as the biggest bureaucratic reform initiative, aimed at capacity building to make government employees more "creative, proactive, professional and technology-enabled".

A total of Rs 79.03 crore has been provided for to the ministry for 2021-22 to meet establishment-related expenditure of the ISTM, the LBSNAA and training division of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

A sum of Rs 136.69 crore has been allocated under the "autonomous bodies of DoPT" head. The provision includes grants-in-aid assistance to Grih Kalyan Kendra, the Central Civil Services Cultural & Sports Board and the National Recruitment Agency (NRA).

The Union Cabinet had in August 2020 decided to set up the NRA, a multi-agency body, for conducting a Common Eligibility Test (CET) to screen or shortlist candidates for the Group B and C (non-technical) posts in the central government.

The Central Administrative Tribunals (CATs), which are entrusted with the redressal of grievances of public servants, have been allocated Rs 122.03 crore for 2021-22 to meet establishment-related expenditure.

"This also includes provision for purchase of land and construction of building for various benches of CAT," the Budget document says. It has been given Rs 121.03 crore for the current financial year, as per the revised estimates for 2020-21.

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC), which conducts various recruitment examination for central government jobs, has been allocated Rs 382.59 crore for 2021-22 to meet establishment-related expenditure, including those on the conduct of examinations for recruitment of staff in central ministries or departments. It has the revised estimated budget of Rs 382.40 crore for the current fiscal.