MISSION KARMAYOGI

 

MISSION KARMAYOGI

Why in the news?

§  Recently, Capacity Building Commission (CBC), launched in 2021, as part of National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) - Mission Karmayogi has completed three years.

Context

§  Recently, Indian Institute of Public Administration assessed the impact by seeking inputs on trained staff and reported increased proficiency in data analytics and e-governance tools under Mission Karmayogi.

Mission Karmayogi

§  India’s ambitious vision of becoming a global manufacturing hub, a critical exporter of value-added services, and a mass supplier of human skills to an ageing developed world by 2047 hinges on efficient governance and competent civil services.

§  Recognising this, the Prime Minister of India launched Mission Karmayogi, the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building to transform India’s three million civil servants into citizen-centric, future-ready, and result-oriented ‘Karmayogis’.

Need for Transformation

§  Historically, delayed infrastructure projects plagued India. Mega initiatives like Rail Freight Corridors and National Highways often faced setbacks due to inter-ministerial permissions and siloed approaches.

§  To address this, the PM Gati Shakti platform emerged as a game-changer.

§  By integrating legal, geographic, and planning layers, it facilitated a holistic approach to infrastructure development.

§  However, for the platform to succeed, civil servants needed expertise in emerging technologies and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

§  India aims to become a global manufacturing hub, a critical exporter of value-added services, and a mass supplier of human skills to developed countries.

§  It covers 46 lakh Central government employees at all levels, and it needs to evolve to meet the demands of a $30 trillion economy by 2047.

Approach For Mission Karmayogi

§  Capacity Building Commission (CBC): It provides policy guidance and tools to enhance civil servants’ capabilities at all levels.

§  Collaborating with institutions like Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya and the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes, and Narcotics, the CBC curated digital training courses.

§  These courses equipped civil servants with skills to apply to PM Gati Shakti for project planning and coordination across departments.

§  Competence Rooted in Indian Ethos: Mission Karmayogi aims to create a competent civil service rooted in Indian values.

§  It fosters a shared understanding of the country’s priorities, emphasising effective and efficient public service delivery.

§  Technology-Enabled Karmayogis: The program focuses on making civil servants more creative, constructive, imaginative, and proactive.

§  It encourages transparency and leverages technology for better governance.

§  It can be done either in-house or through knowledge partners. Carefully crafted and vetted content from top-notch institutions, universities, private content providers and individual resources will be made available as training modules.

Six Key Pillars Under Mission Karmayogi

§  Policy Framework: Provides strategic direction for capacity-building initiatives.

§  Institutional Framework: Establishes the organisational structure to support the program.

§  Competency Framework: Defines skills and knowledge required for effective civil service.

§  Digital Learning Framework (iGOT-Karmayogi): Comprehensive online learning platform.

§  Electronic Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS): Streamlines personnel management processes.

§  Monitoring and Evaluation Framework: Ensures continuous improvement and impact assessment.

Potential of Mission Karmyogi

§  Enhanced Proficiency: The Indian Institute of Public Administration assessed recently trained staff and reported increased proficiency in data analytics and e-governance tools.

§  Continuous Capacity Building: Mission Karmayogi provides a mechanism for continuous capacity building, ensuring civil servants stay updated and skilled.

§  Equal Opportunities: The program aims to provide equal opportunities for personal and professional growth for government officials at all levels.

§  Ideal Civil Servants: By upgrading post-recruitment training mechanisms, Mission Karmayogi aims to create ideal civil servants who are citizen-centric, future-ready, and result-oriented.

Challenges

§  John Maynard Keynes, the economist, once said that “The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones."

§  There is a tendency in the Bureaucracy to resist the change which challenges their status quo.

§  The bureaucracy too must understand the need of domain knowledge and the importance of moving away from generalist to specialist approach.

§  In today’s world the governance is getting technical with each passing day and hence it’s important that the person in authority too should have the requisite skill and experience in that particular area.

§  Thus, there should be a behavioural change in the bureaucracy too and they must embrace the change as a need of the hour and not an attack on their status quo.

§  Moreover, these online courses must not become another opportunity for the officers to go for the sabbatical leaves.

§  It must be ensured that they are actually attending the courses and participating in it so that the purpose doesn't get defeated.

Conclusion

§  While this is a welcome move, it is also a fact that bureaucratic sloth is only one side of the coin.

§  Equally culpable is the political interference which manifests itself in transfers which must be addressed too.

§  Ashok Khemka, the IAS officer from Haryana, is a living testimony of it who has been transferred 52 times so far in his career.

§  Clearly, the reform process is not going to be easy but this is a good move in the direction.