Director General of National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), India Bharat Lal has underscored that the ‘Asian century’ represents a transformative phase, where South Asian countries must emerge as major global players.

With a rich cultural heritage, diverse economies, and a young and dynamic population, South Asia possesses the necessary ingredients for sustainable growth and development, he said.

Speaking at the valedictory session of the 60th capacity building programme (CBP) for the civil servants of Bangladesh, the DG emphasized the importance of leveraging these strengths to address common challenges, uplift marginalized communities, and improve the lives of citizens in this region.

The two-week 60th capacity building programme (CBP) for the civil servants of Bangladesh organised by the NCGG in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) concluded on June 2.

Following the completion of the first phase of CBP for 1,500 civil servants, NCGG signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Bangladesh to enhance the capacity of an additional 1,800 civil servants by 2025, said the Indian High Commission on Sunday.

Post–Covid 19 pandemic, within the past two years, NCGG has already provided training to 517 officers of Bangladesh.

The 21st century is billed as the 'Asian century' and it offers an opportunity to South Asian countries to transform themselves into developed countries and enhance the quality of life of their citizens, said the Indian government.

To achieve this goal, it is important to foster mutual learning and concentrate on citizen-centric public policies and good governance by adopting e-governance.

Bharat Lal highlighted how these capacity building programmes are meticulously curated with the primary objective of facilitating the exchange of knowledge and innovative practices that have been successfully implemented in India to enhance governance and public service delivery.

Through the exchange of best practices, India aims to contribute to the development and strengthening of governance systems globally.

The DG urged the participating officers to identify 4–5 key learnings from the CBP that they can adapt and replicate, with necessary modifications based on their specific needs. 

The DG also spoke on the crucial role played by civil servants in society. He urged the civil servants to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of the people and ensure time-bound public service delivery.

Dr. A. P. Singh, course coordinator in his address highlighted the diversity of topics covered in the 60th capacity building programme.

NCGG in partnership with MEA, NCGG has imparted training to civil servants of 15 countries - Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Seychelles, Gambia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal Bhutan, Myanmar and Cambodia.

The entire capacity building programme was supervised by Dr. A. P. Singh, Course Coordinator for Bangladesh, Dr. Sanjeev Sharma, Co-course Coordinator and the capacity building team of NCGG.