NewzVille Desk
Delivering the Convocation Address of the 50th “Advanced Professional Programme in Public Administration” (APPPA) at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Dr. Jitendra Singh today said, “What is relevant today may not be tomorrow. We need to learn every day to stay relevant.”
He called for a dynamic curriculum in view of the changing governance landscape and continuous evolution in public administration training modules to meet the rapidly changing requirements driven by emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing.
The Minister said the APPPA programme has grown beyond its traditional curriculum to include exposure to aspirational districts, defence institutions, rural and urban development schemes, and India’s rich traditional knowledge systems. “I am happy that the course has evolved with time, integrating themes like Atmanirbhar Bharat and governance reforms,” he said.
Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized the need for continuous learning and adaptive policy making in the face of exponential technological advancements. “We could very well see participants of the 50th APPPA returning for refresher courses by the 55th,” he quipped, stressing the need to keep administrative knowledge up to date.
Lauding IIPA’s initiative to organize APPPA’s golden jubilee programme, Dr. Jitendra Singh underscored the importance of civil-military synergy. “Today’s army officers don’t just stay in isolation; they are expected to brief the media, interact with civilians and respond jointly in disaster-affected regions,” he noted, calling for greater focus on communication skills in future iterations of the course.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also appreciated IIPA’s recent grassroots initiative, which began training programmes for elected Sarpanches and Panchayati Raj representatives, saying this marks a significant step in democratizing capacity building. “IIPA has now spread its wings from training senior civil servants to empowering grassroot representatives,” he said.
The Minister announced that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has approved a fee enhancement from the 51st APPPA batch onwards, giving IIPA more room to strengthen the programme through additional exposure visits and new modules.
Director General, IIPA, S.N. Tripathi, Prof. Neetu Jain, Dr. Saket Bihari, and dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
