NEW DELHI: A two-day National Conference on the theme "Holistic Development of Districts" is set to commence on Thursday in Patna, Bihar, with the participation of hundreds of delegates from across the country.
Organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in collaboration with the Government of Bihar, the conference will be inaugurated jointly by Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar. They will also deliver the inaugural address.
According to an official statement issued in Delhi by the hosting department, the conference will showcase governance models that have received recognition under the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration.
Senior IAS officer and Secretary of DARPG, V. Srinivas, and Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit – who has himself been a recipient of the PM Award for Excellence in Public Administration – will also address the inaugural session, setting the tone for an engaging exchange of ideas and practices.
Notably, both these officials – V. Srinivas at the Centre and Pratyaya Amrit within Bihar’s administrative framework – are known as tough taskmasters, recognised for their creativity and innovation in administration based on their respective performances.
According to an official source, the two-day event will include presentations of PM Awarded and Shortlisted Initiatives 2023 & 2024 (Holistic Development of Districts), Prime Minister’s Awarded Initiatives 2023 & 2024 (Innovations in Governance), and Innovations in Bihar Government, spanning multiple categories such as Holistic Development, Digital Governance, Health, Education, Rural Transformation, and Public Service Delivery.
A film on the PM Awarded Initiatives 2024 will also be screened. Session I of the National Conference will focus on Prime Minister’s Awarded and Shortlisted Initiatives 2023 & 2024 (Innovation in Governance) and will be chaired by Shri Puneet Yadav, Additional Secretary, DARPG, featuring district-level innovations.
The National Conference will include four additional sessions, chaired by senior officials such as Narmdeshwar Lal, Principal Secretary, Minor Water Resources Department, Bihar, Dr S. N. Tripathi, Director General, IIPA, New Delhi, and Sarita Chauhan, Joint Secretary, DARPG, with presentations highlighting district-level innovations from across various states, as well as a dedicated session on innovations within the Government of Bihar.
An official added that the conference is expected to be attended by over 300 delegates from across India, including senior administrators, domain experts, and practitioners in the field of public administration.
The National Conference aims to showcase and disseminate innovative governance practices adopted by districts across the country that have significantly improved service delivery, citizen welfare, and local development outcomes.
It also seeks to provide a platform for District Collectors, senior officials, policymakers, and experts to share experiences, exchange ideas, and deliberate on strategies for achieving saturation of flagship schemes, integrated development across sectors, and effective grievance redressal mechanisms.
By fostering collaboration and cross-learning, the conference strives to institutionalise successful models, scale up impactful initiatives, and accelerate India’s journey towards inclusive and citizen-centric governance at the grassroots level.