Gujarat Pushes For Stronger Governance With Mandatory Officer Training

The idea came up as many officers were struggling with routine administrative tasks and file management processes. In a lot of departments, there just was not enough legal know-how, which led to lost files, mistakes in paperwork,
half-finished documentation, and unnecessary back-and-forth that slowed everything down.

To address these issues, the government held a three-day brainstorming camp called the Chintan Shivir) at the Statue of Unity back in May 2023. It brought together technocrats and bureaucrats. Officials decided that every officer needed a structured training right at the start.

Around 230 delegates—district collectors, development officers, municipal commissioners, and more—attended the 10th session of its kind that year.

Following this, an official order from H.K. Thakkar, Joint Secretary of the General Administration Department, confirmed that the Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA), Ahmedabad, would conduct the 14-week course for all such officers. Notably, SPIPA is currently led by Director General Hareet Shukla.

The Common Foundation Course will be offered twice a year, in January and July, with additional sessions arranged if needed. Training modules will focus on legal systems, administrative processes, and the buts and bolts of the government functioning. Even officers who didn’t initial train at SPIPA will now be required to complete this course.

At a past Chintan Shivir, former Chief Secretary Raj Kumar emphasised on the importance of a structured training to enhance the quality of work performed by officers and staff. Pushing for a step-by-step training plan, he said that it should be a phased one.

Backing this, Kamal Dayani, Additional Chief Secretary of the General Administration Department, suggested to upgrade the training institutes into world-class campuses. This idea was also discussed in group sessions during the Shivir.

Training Structure For Officers:
➢ First 9 weeks: Four core papers under the Common Foundation Course along with exposure visit to another state
➢ Next 4 weeks: Two additional papers related to departmental or cadre-specific functions, to be conducted by the respective department or SPIPA
➢ Final week: A final evaluation covering pre-service training papers (Papers 1 to 6), conducted by SPIPA