New Delhi: The Foundation Course is one of the most memorable periods in the life of a Civil Servant as they come into contact with officers of other services and develop a bonding that could help shape inter-cadre teamwork in their jobs, said Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) GC Murmu in his valedictory address at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration, (HIPA) Gurugram.
Murmu was the Chief Guest for the valedictory ceremony of the Special Foundation Course (SFC) for officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) and Indian Postal Service (IPoS) from 2018, 2019 and 2020 batches. HIPA organized this fifteen-week-long prestigious training programme from September 19, 2022, to December 30, 2022, on behalf of LBSNAA, Mussoorie.
He expressed confidence that the purpose of providing insights into the social, economic and political environment in the country to the trainees has been met fully. He appreciated the feedback of trainees which shows that the SFC has been able to provide them with inter-service friendships for a lifetime and nuanced understanding of the social, cultural, environmental and economic aspects of the functioning of the country.
From his experience of heading Jammu & Kashmir as its Lt Governor, Murmu could provide valuable insights on challenges of governance in border areas and the national security issues and what it means for any officer or official serving the people there. He congratulated HIPA for successfully conducting this course and introducing many innovative pedagogy initiatives. He wished all officers a successful professional journey in service of the nation.
Welcoming the Chief Guest, Surina Rajan, Director General, HIPA, elaborated on the key objectives and outcomes of the SFC. Dr KL Prasad, Course Director, in his report brought out the key components of the SFC which focus on inculcating a spirit of camaraderie and esprit de corps amongst the Officer Trainees (OTs) of various services and different backgrounds apart from the academic domain knowledge.
The OTs had individually and collectively studied the five critical areas of health, education, agriculture, gender and Panchayati Raj Institutions. A unique feature of the SFC at HIPA has been the focus on developing perspectives of OTs through ‘thinking out of the box.’ The OTs have submitted many essays that showcase their abilities in this regard which could help shape policy making capabilities of the OTs.
The essence of shared ideals during training was synthesized by the trainees. They said: “The SFC at HIPA has been the crucible where friendships have been forged, inhibitions have been lost and confidence gained. It has further added to the training received at our respective academies.”
The ideals of Propriety, Proficiency and Productivity learnt at the Indian Railways Institute of Financial Management have been strengthened by classes on Economics and Public Policy. The IPOS motto of ‘Service before Self’ has been imbibed by IPS and IRAS officers too as reflected by the camaraderie experienced during the arduous Himalayan trek.
“At the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, IPS officers learn the importance of the values: Satya, Seva and Suraksha - our modules on national security and India and its neighbourhood conducted at the Foreign Services’ Institute have helped all of us to take a more expansive, international view of these terms,” said one of the trainees.
India has 14000 police stations, a 67000 kilometers long network of railway track and dotted by 1.6 lakh post offices, an emblem of the government’s effort to provide last mile service delivery to the common man. /BI/
