Dr. Surendrakumar Bagde, Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and Head of the Indian delegation, paid a courtesy call to Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, at the Sri Lankan Parliament on February 18, 2025.
The discussion centered on initiating a collaborative capacity-building programme for Sri Lankan civil servants, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NCGG and the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA).
The meeting focused on enhancing the professional capabilities of Sri Lanka’s civil servants to ensure more effective, efficient, and citizen-centric public service delivery. Prime Minister Dr. Amarasuriya emphasized the importance of a well-trained and competent public sector in strengthening governance and building public trust. She underscored the necessity of structured capacity-building initiatives to improve the quality of governance and service provision in the country. Discussions also covered key focus areas of the training programme, including evidence-based policymaking, research-driven governance, data-driven decision-making, and rational policy formulation.
Dr. Bagde highlighted the program's adaptability, emphasizing that training modules would be tailored to meet Sri Lanka’s unique needs and evolving public sector demands. He further stressed that the initiative would offer flexibility in incorporating specialized topics relevant to the country’s administrative landscape.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Ashutosh Pal Singh, Associate Professor, NCGG and High level officers from Indian High Commission, Dr. A.H.M.H Abayarathna, Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government, Mr. Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. S. Alokabandara, Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government, Mr. Niluka Kadurugamuwa, Director General (South Asia and SAARC), Ms. Sagarika Bogahawatta, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. A. Vimukthi Janadara, Acting Director General of SLIDA, Ms. Anusha Batawala Gamage, Additional Director General (Learning and Development), Ms. Prashanthi Krishnamoorthy, Deputy Director (South Asia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Dr. Mayura Arandara, Senior Consultant of SLIDA.
