Union Minister Jitendra Singh calls for reinventing governance institutions to embrace AI, performance-linked delivery

New Delhi: Union Minister of State for PMO and Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh on Friday urged administrative training and governance institutions across the country to reinvent themselves and abandon outdated stereotype models to stay relevant in the evolving governance landscape.

Addressing the concluding session of the National Departmental Summit on "Institutionalising Capacity Building: From Training to Performance-Linked Governance" virtually, Singh said Mission Karmayogi is steadily progressing towards an AI-integrated governance framework that links capacity building, competency development, technology, and public service delivery.

The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB), known as Mission Karmayogi, aims to develop a competent civil service rooted in Indian ethos, with a shared vision of national priorities and seamless, effective public service delivery.

The Minister of State for Personnel emphasised that modern governance reforms must focus on transparency, timeline discipline, ease of doing procedures, optimum use of technology, innovation, and human sensitivity.

He stressed that institutions can no longer operate in silos and must adopt integrated, interdisciplinary learning systems, including collaboration with IITs, IIMs, and other specialised institutions. Highlighting recent governance reforms, Singh noted that annual grievances received on the CPGRAMS portal have surged from nearly two lakh in 2014 to 25-30 lakh at present — a reflection of increased public trust due to better responsiveness and accountability.

He also cited the success of Digital Life Certificates, with nearly 10-11 crore certificates generated, allowing pensioners to complete formalities online without visiting offices. The summit, attended by senior officials from the Department of Personnel and Training, Capacity Building Commission, Karmayogi Bharat, state governments, and administrative training institutions, reached a broad consensus on transforming traditional training centres into digitally integrated, outcome-oriented governance hubs aligned with Mission Karmayogi.

Singh added that while artificial intelligence will be a key enabler, technology cannot replace human intelligence, ethical conduct, and behavioural sensitivity in public service.

Department of Personnel and Training Secretary Rachna Shah highlighted the need for comprehensive capacity-building plans across ministries and states to identify competency gaps.

Capacity Building Commission Chairperson S Radha Chauhan stressed that training institutions must undergo structural and strategic transformation to remain effective in an AI-enabled environment.