Two separate groups of Local Development Officers and Finance Officers of Government of Nepal underwent a two-week specialised training programme in India. The programme was sponsored by Government of India with assistance of NRs. 3 million, and coordinated by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi – a premier institute in India engaged in the training of Government officials.
A group of 10 Finance Officers completed their training in India during April 9-20, 2007, while another group of 10 Local Development Officers underwent training during April 29-May10, 2007. Apart from sessions with IIPA, New Delhi, the two groups of officials also attended specialised training modules at the National Institute of Financial Management in Faridabad, National Institute of Rural Development in Hyderabad, National Industrial Security Academy, Hyderabad and administration and finance training academies of some state governments. All these institutes have rich experience in training government officers entrusted with a variety of responsibilities. In addition, field visits were also arranged to different ministries and organisations in India.
The objective of the training programmes for these two groups of important officers of Government of Nepal was to apprise them of administrative structures and functions and public finance in India and to share with them Government of India’s experiences in public-private partnership for development programmes. At the same time, the sharing of experiences of the GON officials who are engaged in developmental tasks under the present challenging conditions with their Indian counterparts also proved extremely useful for greater understanding of the manner in which development programmes are delivered in Nepal at the local levels. The training programme not only helped increase awareness of each others’ systems, but has reinforced the friendship, professionalism and close relations that characterise the interaction between civil servants of India and Nepal.
Local Development Officers and Finance Officers of Government of Nepal play a pivotal role in the implementation and monitoring of projects under the India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme, now numbering in excess of 200 with an outlay of over NRs. 2000 crores. Success of the training programme has encouraged the Government of India to consider further expanding its scope and frequency in future.
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