Ambedkar centre to sensitise IAS officers on welfare schemes

NEW DELHI: IAS officers from across the country will soon be given a week-long training in ‘social policy and welfare’ for improved policymaking and implementation of schemes so that they can reach out more effectively to the marginalised sections of society.

Dr Ambedkar International Centre, which is being developed as a think tank, will sign an MoU with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration to carry out this week-long training in Mussoorie. The training programme will start when the next batch of IAS officers are trained.

The course will be designed as such that it encapsulates modules on social welfare and policies comprehensively and how these can be effectively implemented in the Indian context. “Currently, there is a gap between policymaking and implementation of schemes which are of social importance. With this training, we plan to fill this gap and make them more receptive on how to reach out to the different sections of the society,” said a senior official of Dr Ambedkar International Centre.

"The idea is that bureaucrats can implement policies on health, education, development, for people in the margins like women, elderly, SC/ST/OBC communities, denotified tribes, the differently-abled effectively. The modules will cover welfare policies in India and around the world, the history of India - pre and post-independence, and India as a welfare state, among other topics."

The Ministry of External Affairs has approached the Ambedkar centre to conduct such courses for officers from African countries. “This is because the implementation of social welfare policies remains a challenge in these countries too. The course will give them fresh perspectives,” added the official.

The main focus will be to reduce socio-political and economic inequalities by conducting research.