Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, inaugurated 40th Advanced Professional Programme in Public Administration (APPPA ) here today the for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Allied Services and Defence Service Officers. The purpose of the programme is to update these officers about changing requirements of services to be delivered by them and increasing aspirations of the people.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the programme is aimed at developing interpersonal skills, leadership qualities and social sensitivity to create an administrative milieu in which governance can be optimally conducted. With the taking over of the new government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the focus has shifted from government to governance and therefore, courses like this are the need of the hour, he observed.Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the world itself is changing and upon this, the Indian democracy comprising of 1200 million people, is itself the most complex political society in the world and the bureaucratic set-up here is perhaps the most difficult than in any other country of the world. Even though the IAS was inherited from the ICS of British Raj, he said, the responsibilities and obligations expected from an IAS officer in the Indian set-up are much more perse and onerous.
Bureaucracy is a part of the Executive which is one of the four essential pillars of democracy, said Dr Jitendra Singh. He also suggested that in order to give people a fair deal of governance, bureaucracy has to remain apolitical and while bureaucrats ought to ensure this, it is also for all of us to avoid any possible tendency to politicize of bureaucracy. Emphasizing on transparency and accountability in governance, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the conduct and the role of a public servant today is to be more responsive and proactive. An extra effort is required to brush aside the popular notion that bureaucracy is ridden with red-tapism and slow disposal of file-work.
Dr Jitendra Singh hoped that the programme inaugurated today will facilitate interaction of public servants with learned persons and experts from different fields. The pogramme was also addressed, among others, by T.N. Chaturvedi Former Governor Karnataka, Dr. Tishyarakshit Chatterjee, Director IIPA; Dr. Syamal Kumar Sarkar, Secretary DoPT and Prof. Suresh Misra.