Context

• The civil services have remained at the epicentre of all government activities in India, both as agents of policymaking as well as the executive hand that delivers and implements those policies. 
• This is the appropriate time for the civil services to pause, reflect and strategise on the approaches needed to shape its future. 

Mission Karmayogi 

• Mission Karmayogi is a nationwide programme to lay the foundation for capacity building of civil servants. It will help the officers to learn about the best practices across the world.
• Officially called the “National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building“, the mission plans to transform human resource management in the country. 
• The fundamental focus of the reform is the creation of a ‘citizen centric civil service’ capable of creating and delivering services conducive to economic growth and public welfare.  
• Mission Karmayogi has the following six pillars:- Policy Framework, Institutional Framework, Competency Framework, Digital Learning Framework (Integrated Government Online Training Karmayogi Platform (iGOT-Karmayogi), electronic Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS), and Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.

Institutional Framework 

• The institutional framework includes four institutions

• The Prime Minister’s Human Resource Council

• NPCSCB will be governed by the Prime Minister’s Human Resource Council, which also includes state Chief Ministers, Union Cabinet ministers and experts. This council approves and reviews civil service capacity building programmes.

• The Cabinet Secretariat coordination unit

• Cabinet Secretary Coordination Unit comprises select secretaries and cadre controlling authorities.

• The Capacity Building Commission (CBC)  

• Build credibility and shape a uniform approach to capacity building on a collaborative basis. 
• It will determine the roll-out strategy of the NPCSCB, onboarding different ministries and departments.

• The SPV Karmayogi Bharat

• It governs the iGOT-Karmayogi platform. .

Need for Mission Karmayogi

• Civil servants are the agents of policy making and its implementation;
• People centric governance is becoming a national imperative;
• Rise of information and communication technology and better informed citizenry;
• For the Indian state to become a partnership state from being a provider and a provisioner state. Eg: Government, private sector, civil society and citizen volunteer groups joined efforts against COVID-19 pandemic;
• Need for a new mindset and an evolving skill set to deal with a dynamic ecosystem including skills of collaboration, adaptiveness, credit sharing, persuasion, and conflict resolution along with understanding of disruptive innovations, digital arenas, big data management and emerging technologies. 

Conclusion

• As India is moving towards a “less government, more governance” approach that requires a paradigmatic shift in the capacities, mindset and actions of the civil servant, Mission Karmayogi is a step in the right direction.