India and Bangladesh held a bilateral meeting to discuss the roadmap for implementing capacity-building programs for civil servants from the latter country. The meeting was held in virtual mode on 16 May 2024. Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India and Mr. Sukesh Kumar Sarker, Director General (Secretary), National Academy for Planning and Development(NAPD), Bangladesh, led the meeting.
Other Dignitaries
Several other dignitaries attended the meeting. They included Md. Ashraf Uddin, Rector (Secretary), Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC); Dr. Md. Shahidullah, Rector (Secretary), National Academy for Development Administration (NADA), Bangladesh; Dr. Md. Omar Faruque, Rector (Secretary), Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Academy (BCSAA); and Additional Secretary Ministry of Public Administration Dr. M. Ziaul Haque.
Representing India were Shri. N.B.S. Rajput, Joint Secretary, DARPG, other senior officials of National Centre of Good Governance (NCGG), DARPG, and High Commission of India to Bangladesh.
Agendas Covered
The meeting successfully discussed several agendas related to developing capacity-building programs for administrative officials in Bangladesh. According to the social media account of DARPG, there were four main agendas on the table: “Discussions covered (a) conducting capacity building programs for the Faculty of Capacity Building Institutions of the Ministry of Public Administration (b) the Senior Executive Development Program (c) the Alumni Meet of Bangladesh Civil Servants at NCGG (d) Participation of Bangladesh Civil Servants in the 27th National e-Governance Conference.”
Key Takeaways
Following discussions, the NCGG has agreed to organise a one-week capacity-building program in its institute to benefit senior civil servants in Bangladesh. It has also decided to curate a two-week capacity-building program for the faculty members of BPATC, NAPD, BCSAA, and NADA of Bangladesh in July and September 2024. The NCGG will also organise an alumni meeting and invite select alumni from the 71 capacity-building programs already conducted for senior civil servants of Bangladesh to facilitate a shared learning experience. Additionally, the DARPG has decided to invite awarded Bangladeshi civil servants to participate in the 27th National e-Governance Conference.
Since its establishment, the National Centre of Good Governance (NCGG) has conducted 71 capacity-building programs for 2660 Bangladesh Civil Service officers for ten years (from 2014 to 2024). Both countries have decided to renew the collaboration to train 1500 civil servants in capacity-building programs from 2025-2030.