Not just that - their appraisal will be linked to it.

Officials said a range of courses would soon become mandatory for IPS officers. Their performance on the government’s iGOT Karmayogi platform would be reflected in their annual performance appraisal reports (APARs).

“The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a recent communication to the Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories (UTs), said the move follows a directive from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to ensure continuous and role-specific capacity building for officers of the All India Services,” a senior official said.

As per the new directives, IPS officers, under the framework, will have to complete prescribed courses on the iGOT Karmayogi platform every year, the officials said, adding that the digital portal is designed to provide learning and capacity-building programmes for civil servants and government employees.

“As the cadre-controlling authority for the IPS, the MHA has identified 24 courses, divided equally among four categories based on years of service. Six courses have been prescribed for each category, of which the first three are mandatory,” the official said.

Three Mandatory Courses

For FY2026-27, completion of these mandatory courses will be linked to the APAR process, they said, adding that officers “will have to finish all three mandatory courses before they can access the comprehensive assessment”.

The first category is for those officers who have completed up to nine years of service, which means IPS officers from the 2018 batch onwards would be required to take up the course. 

“Their mandatory courses include an introduction to emerging technologies, search and seizure procedures under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and cybersecurity fundamentals for leaders,” said another official.

The courses are offered by the Wadhwani Foundation, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, and the National e-Governance Division of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, respectively. The remaining courses cover personal finance, using feedback as a leadership tool and handling mobile devices at crime scenes.

Those who have completed 9 to 16 years of service - officers from the 2011 to 2017 batches - will take courses on emerging technologies, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the foundational framework of the interoperable criminal justice system, the officials said.

The other three courses focus on managing and leading teams, noting and drafting, and mastering feedback.

For officers from the 2001 to 2010 batches, the prescribed courses cover emerging technologies, evidence-based policymaking, cybersecurity fundamentals, the art of storytelling, and the use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools by government officials.

The seniormost category, comprising officers from the 2000 batch and earlier, has a largely similar set of courses, including emerging technologies, evidence-based policymaking, cybersecurity, storytelling, generative AI and digital transformation. 

An additional module on integrative wellness, offered by the Rashtriya Raksha University, has been included for this group.

The initiative marks a push towards making digital learning and professional development an integral part of the annual appraisal process for IPS officers.