PDUNASS and SMGC Host Training on Compassion in Governance for Public Servants

The initiative aims to equip public servants with the skills and mindset to combine empathy with efficiency in service delivery, ensuring governance is both effective and humane.

The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Academy of Social Security (PDUNASS), under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Ministry of Labour & Employment, in collaboration with the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion (SMGC), has conducted a special training programme titled “Compassion in Governance.” The initiative aims to equip public servants with the skills and mindset to combine empathy with efficiency in service delivery, ensuring governance is both effective and humane.

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Building on the Call for Compassionate Governance

The training was inspired by the 17th edition of PDUNASS’s Online Lecture Series – Re-Imagining Governance Discourse for Excellence (RGDE) – during which Nobel Peace Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi delivered a keynote address on “Reimagining Compassionate Governance.” At that event, Shri Ramesh Krishnamurthi, Central Provident Fund Commissioner of EPFO, had urged officers to actively integrate compassion into their daily administrative responsibilities.

Following this, PDUNASS conceptualised and launched the pilot training programme in partnership with SMGC, designed specifically for its probationers.

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Event Overview and Participation

The one-day training took place at Manthan Hall, PDUNASS, beginning at 10:00 AM with a ceremonial lighting of the lamp. The programme saw over 60 participants attending in person and more than 100 joining virtually from across the country.

Presiding over the opening session, Shri Kumar Rohit, Director of PDUNASS, emphasised that effective governance extends beyond enforcing rules—it requires a deep understanding of the communities served.

“Processes must be guided by compassion to ensure that governance is truly responsive to the needs of citizens,” he said, noting that such an approach fosters trust and improves the overall quality of public service.

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Interactive and Experiential Learning

The faculty from SMGC – Ms. Diksha Chopra, Ms. Ishani Sachdeva, Mr. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ms. Jahanara Rabia Raza, and Ms. Ikanshi Khanna – led immersive sessions covering:

• Sympathy vs. Compassion – Understanding the distinction and its implications in governance.

• Mindful Decision-Making – Applying awareness and presence to administrative choices.

• Active Listening Skills – Building trust through genuine, attentive communication.

• Conflict Resolution with Empathy – Addressing disputes constructively while preserving dignity.

The programme blended case studies, role-play exercises, and reflective discussions, encouraging participants to explore practical strategies for embedding compassion into their daily work routines.

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Towards a Culture of Humane Governance

The initiative reflects PDUNASS’s commitment to developing public servants who are not only efficient administrators but also empathetic leaders. By training officers to respond with understanding and humanity, the programme seeks to reshape public service culture, aligning administrative processes more closely with the needs, rights, and dignity of citizens.

Organisers believe that such training, if scaled up, can contribute to systemic change in the delivery of public services, creating an environment where compassion becomes an integral part of governance philosophy.