Jitendra Singh Chairs IIPA Meet, Stresses Tech Integration in Governance

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions; Department of Space and Atomic Energy, Dr. Jitendra Singh, chaired the 327th meeting of the Executive Council of the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) at New Delhi on Monday.

As Chairman of the Council, Dr. Singh highlighted the growing importance of aligning public administration training with emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, digital governance platforms, and data-driven tools.

Building Leadership in Governance

In his address, Dr. Singh stressed the need to equip scientists, academicians, and technical experts—many of whom move into senior administrative positions—with structured governance and communication training.

“India has a rich pool of scientific and academic talent, but structured exposure to institutional management and administrative orientation is essential for those who transition into leadership roles,” he said.

Social Media in Governance

The Minister also drew attention to the transformative yet risky role of social media in governance. He suggested that IIPA design specialised workshops to guide officers on responsible engagement, focusing on how to communicate effectively while countering misinformation. “Credible public communication,” he said, “is the need of the hour.”

Decisions and Approvals

The Executive Council approved several key agenda items:

• Confirmation of minutes from the previous meeting.

• Adoption of the Annual Report and audited accounts for 2024–25.

• Admission of new life members.

• Establishment of a new local branch in Nanded, Maharashtra.

Recognition and Awards

The Council also announced prestigious annual awards:

• Paul H. Appleby Award 2025: Retired IAS officer Meenakshi Hooja.

• Dr. Rajendra Prasad Award for Academic Excellence 2025: Prof. Prakash C. Sarangi, former Vice-Chancellor of Ravenshaw University.

• Best Performing Branch Awards: Karnataka (first), Uttar Pradesh (second), Madhya Pradesh & Mizoram (joint third).

• Annual Essay Competition: Nearly 200 entries on themes such as AI, social media challenges, and ease of living. Four winners emerged from Jharkhand, Telangana, Punjab, and Haryana.

• Annual Case Study Competition: First prize to Dr. Vivek Dixit of AIIMS, New Delhi, for his study on third gender concerns.

• T.N. Chaturvedi Award: For the best articles published in IIPA’s journals Indian Journal of Public Administration and Lok Prashashan.

Expanding Collaborations

The meeting also reviewed IIPA’s growing partnerships:

• With NDMA and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), both of which are housed in the new IIPA Bhawan.

• With Amazon Web Services (AWS) on digital transformation training.

• With HCL Technologies in capacity building.

• Training engagements with the Tata Group and Maruti Udyog.

• Advanced Leadership Programmes designed for senior executives of public sector undertakings.

• Specialised programmes for officials of leading banks such as HDFC, ICICI, SBI, and Bank of Baroda.

Training and Research Achievements

Between April and September 2025, IIPA:

• Conducted 49 training programmes, benefitting 2,809 officials.

• Completed six research projects, with 21 projects ongoing.

These programmes covered a wide range of areas, from governance innovation and digital literacy to leadership development and policy formulation.

Strengthening IIPA’s Regional Footprint

Welcoming members earlier, IIPA Director General Shri Surendra Nath Tripathi outlined efforts to:

• Expand regional branches.

• Use smart classrooms and live-streaming to widen access to training.

• Improve documentation of workshops and conferences to generate policy-relevant publications.

Vision for Viksit Bharat @ 2047

In his concluding remarks, Dr. Singh reiterated that IIPA must continue to expand its collaborations at both national and international levels, while aligning with the government’s vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

“By reaching out to districts, local governments, and private stakeholders, IIPA can ensure that India builds a future-ready governance ecosystem,” he affirmed.