Jitendra Singh Launches First Administrative Training Programme for Scientists Under Mission Karmayogi

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday launched the first-ever programme on “Administrative Capacity Building for Scientists and Academicians”, aimed at strengthening governance and decision-making skills under Mission Karmayogi.

The initiative was announced during a special session of “SADHANA Saptah”. The programme seeks to address the lack of structured administrative training for scientists and academicians transitioning into leadership roles.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said the absence of formal administrative exposure has long been a gap, as professionals from scientific and academic backgrounds often take on institutional responsibilities without prior training. He said the programme is designed to address this gap in a systematic manner.

He noted that the initiative has evolved from discussions with scientific leadership and would reduce reliance on “self-learning” that can be time-consuming and uneven. He added that the programme would remain dynamic and adapt to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, while maintaining a balance between technological tools and human judgement.

The Minister also outlined new directions for the Capacity Building Commission, including the development of structured modules for specific administrative functions. He suggested a focused course on answering Parliamentary Questions to strengthen procedural understanding among officials.

He further indicated that similar short-format orientation modules could be developed for early-career civil servants and Assistant Secretaries to familiarise them with governance systems without adding excessive training burden.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said capacity building must move beyond rule-based functioning to a role-based approach, enabling officials to adapt across domains. He added that integrating private sector practices into governance is necessary, stating that “the age of silos is over”.

Echoing this, S. Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission, said the next phase of Mission Karmayogi would focus on making public institutions both adaptive and humane, especially amid rapid technological change.

She emphasised that with the growing role of artificial intelligence, adaptability in governance is essential, while maintaining a citizen-centric approach. She also highlighted the need to improve the quality and reach of capacity-building efforts, including democratising access to training and strengthening institutional collaboration through platforms such as UNNATI.

At the event held at Vigyan Bhawan, the Minister also launched the revamped UNNATI portal and unveiled a roadmap for the national rollout of the Karmayogi Kartavya Karyakram.

He also oversaw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Capacity Building Commission and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries to promote global knowledge partnerships in capacity building. The collaboration will focus on policy dialogues, practitioner exchanges and thematic learning initiatives in areas such as artificial intelligence in governance, digital transformation and public sector innovation.

The session was attended by Ashutosh Sharma, Abhay Karandikar, Rajesh S. Gokhale, M. Ravichandran and Alka Mittal.