ACTIVITIES OF THE TRAINING DIVISION
Training Division of the Department of Personnel andTraining is the nodal agency for training of government functionaries and is primarily responsible for formulating policies with regard to the training. It also implements certain components of the training directly. The primary objectives of the Division are the following:-
OBJECTIVE OF TRAINING DIVISION
•= Administering Policy matters in training
•= Identification of functional areas of training
•= Designing and implementing training programs for
officers involved in the priority development sectors
•= Development of trainers and training capability
Major Activities
The major ongoing activities of the Division are the following:-
i) Assistance to State Administrative Training Institutes
The Training Division provides financial support to State Administrative Training Institutes (ATIs) in terms of computer and other equipments. It also supports several training programs which are of specific need within the state. On an average about 500 programs, generally of 1-week duration, are supported by the Training Division in the State ATIs.
ii) In-service training of IAS Officers
A regular system of training IAS officers was started in 1986. under this scheme, all the IAS officers, from 6-30 years of service, are required to undergo compulsor 1- week training every alternative year. In addition, they are required to attend a 2- week training program at three levels of seniority i.e. 6-9 years at service, 10 to 16 years of service, and 17-20 years of service. These training programs are organized and coordinated directly by the Training Division at a number of institutions around the country.
As part of the responsibility towards the training of the IAS officers, a revised system of training,
comprising intensive and high quality programs, at three points in their career, has been approved. The
objective of this revised proposal is to structure the training around inputs that an officer would need for the likely responsibilities over the next 8-10 years and to also equip an officer with the latest
developments in public policy and its management.
iii) Development of Trainers
The Training Division is responsible for developing a cadre of professional trainers in the
country. Towards this end, we have a copyright on two trainer development packages, namely "Direct Trainer Skills' (DTS) and 'Design of Training" (DOT). Both these packages were developed in collaboration with Thames Valley University of U.K. Recently a toolkit on Training Needs Analysis and Evaluation of Training have also been developed. Packages on new and more apt training methods like facilitation, case study, etc are also being developed recently.
Packages on DTS and DOT are being run for several years and a special cadre of professionals have been developed who are authorized to run these packages on our behalf. Of late, a lot of interest has been evinced even by private corporates in deputing their staff for programs running the above packages. Similar trainer development courses are scheduled to be run on the new packages from this year onwards.
iv) Foreign Training of officers
International funding agencies like the DFID and USAID have almost completely withdrawn the support which was earlier available for deputing officers on foreign training. However, the need for sending officers on foreign training continues to be felt, particularly in view of the growing importance of globalization and economic liberalization. It is with this in mind that a decision has been taken to fund the training of officers through domestic sources. The foreign training programmes are being supported under the following three components:
a. long-term training of officer of upto 1 year duration
b. short-term training of officers
C. partial support to those who secure admission on their own
v. UNDP assisted protect on Strenqthening of State ATIs
The UNDP has provided grant assistance of US $ 3 million for Strengthening 17 State Administrative Training Institutes in the country. This covers the administrative training institutions of all the major states in the country. This project started in mid 2001 and the major activities taken up are the following.
a) Identification of training needs of various categories of employees, primarily targeting the
cutting edge and the supervisory levels in the different state governments.
b) Development of training modules in each of the identified areas
c) Development of trainers in each of these areas
d) Development of new training techniques
e) Development of special modules to be implemented
through the distance learning methodologies, primarily aimed at government functionaries at the
district levels.
f) Computer and equipments support for the AT]s
g) Development of a web site for each of the ATIs
h) Strengthening of libraries of the ATIs The project also envisages deputing a number of faculty
members for training abroad or involvement of foreign consultant in developing the training methods, wherever domestic capability is not available.
VI. UNDP Assisted project on Setting up a Centre for Public Policy
The UNDP has provided grant assistance of US $ 2.15 million for setting up a Centre for Public Policy as a part of IIM-Bangalore. The objective of this Centre is to provide high quality academic training in the area of public policy, which does not currently exist in the country. In
the long run, this would help to obviate the need for longterm foreign training by integrating a foreign component as part of the curriculum of the Centre for Public Policy.
While the JS(Training) is the National Project Director for this project, a Project Advisory Committee has been set up within the IIM-Bangalore with the objective of taking day to day decisions with regard to this work. The first programme at the Centre for Public Policy was launched in June, 2002.
Three programs have since been completed and the fourth program has commenced in the first week of June, 2005. About thirty officers are selected for this program every year. The program involves a one year stay at the IIM-B campus and a further one year of work on dissertation at the officer’s work place. There is a seven week component at the Maxwell School of Citizenship, University of Syracuse, USA. While UNDP assistance was being used for developing the curriculum, development of faculty and improvement of the computer center and library the Centre for Public Policy, government budgetary support has been provided for physical infrastructure for this Centre in terms of accommodation for
the officers, faculty rooms and classrooms. VII Network of Training Institutions There is a multiplicity of training institutions within the country (estimated number being over 400), as result of
which the utilization of resources and resource persons has been sub-optimal. A result, we have obtained grant assistance from UNDP to setup a web based network of 30 leading training institutions in the country. This is being implemented through IIM-Bangalore, as part of the project on establishment of a Centre for Public Policy
VIII Access to Information
This UNDP project has been formulated with the recognition that Access to Information is the Key
development issue and has the potential to empower the citizen in relation to the State, make administration more accountable and participatory, ensure greater transparency and act as a deterrent to the arbitrary exercise of official powers. Access to information also equips the citizens to
participate meanfingfully in the development process, by understanding and raising their conerns and priorites, and enabling them to contribute to fesible development approaches and solutions. The main objective of the programme is to strengthen and institutionalized mechanism for improved Government-
Citizen interface and smoothen the operationalisation of right to information by means of consultative process for consensus building and through intensive training of Government employees, especially at the cutting edge level, in districts and sub districts. The objective would be to demonstrate improved performance and responsiveness to citizens demand for information through intensive training of cutting edge functionaries. Documentation, research and advocacy efforts would be the other objectives. With the enactment of the Right to Information Act, the project has assumed greater importance.
IX Long term domestic training programmes in Public Policy
With a view to making available increased opportunities for the high quality academic training in the area of public policy, which does not currently exist in the country, additional long term domestic training programmes in Public Policy, on the pattern of the programme being conducted at the Centre for Public Policy, has been approved for being conducted at the TERI and at MDI, Gurgaon. Another programme is being contemplated at the IIM Ahmedabad. There is another existing long term training programme on Public Policy being conducted at the IIPA.
X Administrative matters relating to LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI NATIONAL ACADEMY FOR ADMINISTRATION, INSTITUTE FOR SECRETARIAT TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT AND INDIAN INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
The Training Division also looks after the administrative matters of the LBSNAA and the ISTM including the provisionion of budgetary resources for these institutes. It also provides partial funding to the IIPA.
