India, Sri Lanka plan roadmap to train 1,500 officers from island nation

A roadmap is being discussed for a collaboration between the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and Sri Lanka's Institute of Development Administration to train 1,500 administrative officers of the island nation in India, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

A high-level Indian delegation, led by NCGG Director General and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) Secretary V Srinivas, visited Sri Lanka from July 7-9.

According to an statement issued on Thursday by the Personnel Ministry, the visit was marked by productive deliberations and strategic meetings, and paved the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation and capacity building support for senior public officials of Sri Lanka.

"The two sides discussed the roadmap for collaboration between the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration for capacity building programs for 1,500 Sri Lanka Administrative Service Officers in India for 2024-2029 including faculty development programs and district collector level interactions," said the statement.

The two-day visit to Colombo included a courtesy call on Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena on July 9.

The meeting highlighted the robust bilateral relations and India's steadfast commitment under its "Neighbors First" policy toward Sri Lanka's ongoing governance reforms, the statement said.

The delegation also held meetings with President's Secretary E M S B Ekanayake; Prime Minister's Secretary Anura Dissanayake; Secretary Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs, Provincial Council and Local Government Pradeep Yasarathne to further strengthen the efforts for collaboration between the two countries, it said.

The Indian delegation visited the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) for interactions with its Director General Nalaka Kaluwewe and senior faculty. It also interacted with alumni of NCGG and shared best practices in the adoption of next generation administrative reforms with officers of Sri Lanka Administrative Service, the statement said.

Earlier, the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) organised three capacity-building training programmes for senior and mid-level officers of Sri Lanka.

During the first visit to NCGG from February 1217, 2024, a delegation of 14 senior Sri Lankan civil servants was led by the Secretary to the Prime Minister, Anura Dissanayake.

The NCGG has trained a total of 95 civil servants from Sri Lanka till date.

"This initiative is anticipated to profoundly impact the efficiency of public service with high levels of good governance," the statement said.

Srinivas also delivered an oration on "Centralized Public Grievance Redressal System: A Foundation for SMART Government" at the SLIDA main auditorium. It was attended by more than 150 senior civil servants of Sri Lanka.

This session highlighted advancements in India's highly efficient public grievance redressal system and its potential relevance to Sri Lanka's public administration, it said.

The delegation visited the Colombo District Secretariat and the Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretariat to observe the functioning of the Registrar Division, which issues vital documents including birth, marriage, and death certificates.

The visit also included several informal interactions with senior official dignitaries, creating ample opportunity for strengthening interpersonal bilateral relations, the statement said.

The two-day official visit successfully concluded with a clear roadmap for a five-year (2024-2028) collaboration between SLIDA and NCGG, for conducting capacity building programmes for the civil servants of Sri Lanka which would result in contributing to the enhancement of public service efficiency, it said.

Both countries reiterated their full commitment to continuing the strong partnership in ongoing reforms and capacity development of public service delivery, the statement said.

The delegation included N B S Rajput, Joint Secretary, DARPG; A P Singh, Associate Professor, NCGG; Prisca Mathew, Chief Administrative Officer and Consultant, NCGG and Mukesh Bhandari, Research Associate, NCGG, it said.