Bureaucrats undergo Ram Rajya, Arthashastra-based orientation programme

Launched by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on April 2, the virtual workshop was scheduled to end on April 8, but was extended till April 10.

While orientation workshops are common within official and corporate governance circles, attendance was made compulsory for the ‘Sadhana Saptah’ and was linked to the promotions of bureaucrats, sources aware of developments informed The Tribune.

After every module, the participants had to fill up different sets of questionnaires and score at least 50 per cent marks. Officers scoring below 50 per cent had to undertake the entire exercise again. The exercise was linked to the promotion of senior officials, mainly IAS officers. They will also be issued certificates on the successful completion of the entire course.

Till April 7, around one crore officials had completed at least one course, with sources saying that 70 to 80 per cent state-level officials also took part in the week-long exercise.

With a focus on enhancing bureaucrats’ performance and improving their administrative skills. the exercise included webinars, group discussions and talks on the Indian knowledge system and citizen-centric governance based on the concepts of Kautilya’s Arthashastra and ‘Ram Rajya’.

The entire programme was broadly divided into three ‘sutras’ -- ‘Technology, Tradition and Tangible Outcomes’. The ‘Technology’ segment focussed on AI and emerging technologies transforming the sector. It covered sector-specific AI use cases, regulatory readiness and its integration into the digital public infrastructure.

In the ‘Tradition’ Sutra, emphasis was laid on Indian Knowledge Systems and indigenous innovations, encompassing civilisational practices with contemporary relevance, community-led institutional models and indigenous governance insights.

Under the third Sutra of ‘Tangible Outcomes’, the focus was on outcome-oriented governance and public value creation. The segment covered topics like citizen impact tracking, clear articulation of priority sectoral outcomes and dashboard-based monitoring.

The modules were designed by the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, IIT-Madras, IIT-Hyderabad, XLRI (Xavier School of Management, formerly called the Xavier Labour Relations Institute) and the IIM-Bangalore. Global entities like Microsoft and prestigious universities like John Hopkins University and Michigan State University, were also among the course providers.

The Capacity-Building Commission, a body under the DoPT, piloted the entire week-long workshop. Participants extended across 93 Central ministries and departments, as well as 30 states and Union Territories.