New Delhi, August 26 (IANS). Union Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said that the need for collective capacity building to effectively meet the emerging challenges in the rapidly changing technological and global scenario is greater than ever. He said that capacity building cannot be limited to individual skill development only, but it has to be developed as a shared responsibility of the entire society and various institutions.
Addressing a round table meeting organized on the topic of Capacity Building, Minister Dr. Singh said that the pace of technology and social change has reached unprecedented levels. In such times, it has become essential to continuously learn and adapt oneself to changing circumstances.
He said that the knowledge or skills learned today can become obsolete in a very short time. Therefore, both individuals and institutions need to develop the capacity to continuously learn and adapt to new circumstances.
Dr. Singh said that institutions will also have to learn to work in an integrated manner instead of working in separate areas. With better coordination and collaboration between various organizations, new challenges can be resolved faster and policies can be effectively implemented on the ground.
He said India should move towards an approach that gives importance to “whole society participation” along with institutional coordination. He said that it is not possible to solve all the challenges by relying only on government efforts.
The Minister further said that the government cannot be expected to solve every problem and this requires active role of various stakeholders like industry, academic institutions, research organizations, civil society and private sector.
Referring to the steps taken for private participation in sectors like space and nuclear energy, Dr Singh said that India has made various sectors more open and participatory in recent years. What is needed now is for various sectors to work together and create a strong ecosystem to achieve national goals.
He also stressed the need to adopt a practical approach in governance. He said that officers should move beyond thinking limited only to the rule book and adopt a solution-centric approach while discharging responsibilities.
He said that proper level of practical approach is necessary for effective work performance and for this, change in mindset is equally important.
Dr Jitendra Singh also mentioned the growing role of digital and continuous learning platforms in capacity building. He informed that there are currently more than 40 lakh registered users on the iGOT platform, which has been developed as a continuous learning platform for government officials. It provides them with the opportunity to constantly stay updated with new policies, technologies and administrative procedures.
He also mentioned the National Center for Good Governance and the Indian Institute of Public Administration and said that these institutions are an important part of the broader mechanism to promote good governance and capacity building in the country.
–IANS
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