A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Centre for Good Governance of India (NCGG) and the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) was signed during the State visit of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to India in December 2024 for training and capacity building of 1,500 Sri Lankan civil service officers over five years.
The first program under the MoU was held at the NCGG from April 21 to May 2, 2025, and was attended by 41 officers. The theme of the program was ‘Digitisation in governance’.
The program featured a series of sessions focused on key areas such as digital service delivery, digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion through digital payments, and innovations in public grievance redressal systems.
Senior officials and domain experts delivered presentations on flagship Indian initiatives in the digital domain, including Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, e-Office, GeM, Aadhaar and PM Gati Shakti, among others.
At an interaction session with the participants in the inaugural program May 8, 2025 at SLIDA, the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha underscored that capacity building is an important pillar of the development cooperation between the two countries, with Sri Lanka being among the largest recipients of scholarships and capacity building initiatives offered by India.
He said that, demonstrating India’s continued commitment to enhancing capacity-building opportunities for Sri Lankans, the Prime Minister of India had announced additional training avenues for 700 Sri Lankan citizens annually during his recent State visit.
