Dr Jitendra Singh Urges States to Partner Centre for Modern Personnel Reforms

Stressing the importance of continuous learning and skill upgradation, Dr. Jitendra Singh described Mission Karmayogi as a cornerstone of the government’s capacity-building strategy.

Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh, on Monday called upon States and Union Territories to deepen coordination with the Centre as part of a “whole of the government” approach to governance. Addressing the Annual Conference of Secretaries (Personnel/GAD) of States and UTs, the Minister emphasised that closer Centre–State cooperation is essential to modernise personnel administration, reduce procedural delays and strengthen capacity building across services.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said governance reforms over the last decade have focused on simplifying rules, leveraging technology and shifting towards outcome-oriented administration to enhance public service delivery. He underlined that these reforms are aimed not merely at procedural efficiency, but at restoring public trust in institutions through transparency, accountability and timely decision-making.

Highlighting the role of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Minister said one of the most significant aspects of recent reforms has been the conscious removal of obsolete and cumbersome rules rather than layering new regulations. He noted that nearly 1,600 to 1,700 outdated rules have been repealed, including the long-standing requirement for attestation of certificates. Objective recruitment reforms, such as doing away with interviews in certain examinations, have helped reduce discretion, improve transparency and speed up recruitment processes.

Stressing the importance of continuous learning and skill upgradation, Dr. Jitendra Singh described Mission Karmayogi as a cornerstone of the government’s capacity-building strategy. He said the mission, which initially focused on in-service officers, has now expanded to cover new recruits and is being extended to elected representatives at the local body level. This, he noted, reflects the government’s commitment to building a future-ready and citizen-centric administrative workforce at all tiers of governance.

The Minister raised concerns over persistent service-related issues, particularly delays in cadre reviews. He observed that prolonged pendency in cadre reviews adversely affects administrative efficiency, career progression of officers and public perception of governance. Urging senior officials to take greater ownership of such matters, he cautioned against allowing administrative processes to stall in the absence of specific judicial directions. He also referred to discussions surrounding the Unified Pension Scheme, noting that misconceptions continue to circulate and stressing the responsibility of States to communicate accurate information to officers and other stakeholders.

Reiterating the Centre’s emphasis on cooperative federalism and openness, Dr. Jitendra Singh encouraged States to share feedback candidly and engage proactively with the Centre. He said constructive dialogue and mutual trust are critical to sustaining reform momentum and addressing emerging challenges in personnel administration.

During the interactive session, representatives from several States highlighted operational challenges related to central deputation, cadre reviews and service management. Some States pointed out difficulties in relieving officers for central deputation due to staffing constraints and service conditions, while others flagged acute shortages arising from long-pending cadre reviews, creation of new districts and expanding administrative responsibilities. Responding to these concerns, the Minister acknowledged the diversity of local realities but cautioned that frequent ad-hoc relaxations could undermine uniformity and consistency across States.

Secretary, DoPT, Ms Rachna Shah, emphasised that cadre review proposals submitted by States must be comprehensive, data-driven and well-reasoned to enable timely processing. She noted that significant progress has been made in completing IAS cadre reviews, and that concerted efforts are underway to expedite pending IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFS) reviews as well. Issues relating to vigilance records and service data management were also discussed, with the Minister agreeing on the need for regular updating and prompt corrective action.

Training and capacity building emerged as a major focus area during the conference. States sought better advance intimation of training programmes to facilitate planning and requested more effective use of digital communication channels. Responding to these points, the Secretary said training calendars are generally finalised well in advance, and reminders closer to programme dates are intended to ensure participation and minimise last-minute withdrawals.

Ms Shah highlighted the growing adoption of Mission Karmayogi and the iGOT platform by State officials, noting that a majority of learners on the platform now come from States. She said an increasing number of courses are available in regional languages, making training more accessible and inclusive. She also informed that work is in progress to integrate iGOT with electronic HRMS and APAR systems, enabling seamless linkage between training, performance appraisal and service records. States were encouraged to actively leverage these digital platforms to institutionalise continuous learning.

Earlier, setting the broader context of the conference, the Secretary said Centre–State engagement on personnel and administrative reforms is intended to be collaborative and participative. She outlined key reform initiatives undertaken under the guidance of the Union Minister, including recruitment reforms, expediting promotions, pension reforms, strengthening public grievance redressal mechanisms and rolling out digital governance platforms such as iGOT and e-HRMS. Describing State GAD and Personnel Secretaries as custodians of the administrative framework at the State level, she stressed that sustained reform would depend on trust, partnership and the sharing of best practices.

Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Shri Sriram Taranikanti, highlighted implementation challenges in induction and mid-career training programmes for All India Services officers. He pointed to under-utilisation of training capacity due to late nominations and withdrawals, and urged States to systematically release officers for training to clear backlogs over the next few years. He also called for closer coordination in faculty identification, timely settlement of dues and greater involvement of State Administrative Training Institutes in sector-specific programmes to ensure wider replication of training outcomes.

The conference, which brought together senior personnel administrators from across the country, provided a platform for sharing experiences, flagging operational challenges and aligning priorities for future reforms. It reinforced the shared commitment of the Centre and States to build a modern, responsive and capable administrative system aligned with the evolving needs of governance.