Excelsior Correspondent
MUSSOORIE, Sept 1: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that IAS/Civil Services probationers’ curriculum has been sought to be improvised in recent years, ever since the Modi government took over in 2014, and is in the process for further improvisation.
Addressing the Diamond Jubilee celebrations on the 60th anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) Mussoorie here today, Dr Singh said that earlier there were only three All India Services(IAS) which were part of the Foundation course but the current Foundation course underway at the Academy has trainees from nearly twenty different services, which besides other advantages, would also instill in them a sense of comradeship and a more harmonious exposure. In addition, he said, the last few days of the three – month Foundation course will be spent at Kaveri in Gujarat, where the probationers will have the opportunity to pay obeisance at the “Statue of Unity” raised as a tribute to Sardar Patel, who is known as the Founding Architect of Indian Administrative Service(IAS).
Beginning from next year, he said, the Department of Personnel & Training (DOPT), which is the administrative department for the Mussoorie academy, is contemplating further possible improvisation in the format and curriculum of training at the academy.
Beginning from 2016, Dr Jitendra Singh recalled, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the DOPT started a new experiment of designating young IAS officers as Assistant Secretaries in the Government of India for a period of three months, before they went to their respective States or Union Territories to take up the assignments in the allocated cadre.
This initiative, he said, has been appreciated by the last three batches of IAS officers who went through this process and were able to expose themselves to the work-culture and the flagship programmes of the Central government, and at the same time, had an opportunity to undergo mentorship while working with their senior colleagues. Another advantage of this three – month stint is that even before beginning their career in the States, these IAS officers get an opportunity to interact with the Prime Minister of India on two occasions, first during the beginning of three months’ stint and then at the conclusion of this period. In the last five years, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a new complex was constructed in the Academy premises by the name “Gyan Shila”, and from this year an Ayush Wellness Centre, a Physiotherapy Block and an upgraded Health Fitness centre has also been incorporated.
On the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh was felicitated by Director LBSNAA, Sanjeev Chopra and other members of the faculty. He also had an informal interaction with the probationers, over lunch.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
