By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JULY 11, 2024: A high-level official delegation, led by V. Srinivas, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India, and Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), successfully concluded an official visit to Sri Lanka from 7th July to 9th July 2024. The visit was marked by productive deliberations and strategic meetings and has 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 1500 Sri Lanka Administrative Service Officers in India for 2024-2029 including faculty development programs and district collector level interactions.

The 2-day visit to Colombo from July 7-9, 2024, included a courtesy call on the Hon'ble Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena on 9th July, 2024 in Parliament premises. This meeting highlighted the robust bilateral relations and India's steadfast commitment under its "Neighbors First" policy toward Sri Lanka's ongoing governance reforms. The delegation also held meetings with the Secretary to the President Mr. E.M.S.B.Ekanayake; Secretary to the Prime Minister Mr. Anura Dissanayake; Secretary Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs, Provincial Council and Local Government Mr. Pradeep Yasarathne to further strengthen the efforts for collaboration between the two countries.

The Indian delegation visited the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) for interactions with the Director General of SLIDA, Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewe and Senior Faculty, interacted with alumni of NCGG and shared best practices in the adoption of Next Generation Administrative Reforms with officers of Sri Lanka Administrative Service. It is pertinent to mention that the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) organized three capacity-building training programs for senior and mid-level officers of Sri Lanka. During the first visit to NCGG from February 12–17, 2024, a delegation of fourteen senior Sri Lankan civil servants was led by the Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Anura Dissanayake. To date, NCGG has trained a total of 95 civil servants from Sri Lanka. This initiative is anticipated to profoundly impact the efficiency of public service with high levels of good governance.

V. Srinivas also delivered an insightful oration on "Centralized Public Grievance Redressal System: A Foundation for SMART Government" at the SLIDA main auditorium, attended by over 150 senior public 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.

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

The delegation included NBS Rajput, Joint Secretary, DARPG; Dr. A.P. Singh, Associate Professor, NCGG; Prisca Mathew, Chief Administrative Officer and Consultant, NCGG; and Dr. Mukesh Bhandari, Research Associate, NCGG.