Arunachal CM Pema Khandu champions capacity building for civil servants under Mission Karmayogi

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, on Monday, highlighted the critical need for continuous capacity building among civil servants to ensure governance remains citizen-centric, efficient, and future-ready in a rapidly evolving world.

Addressing the inaugural session of a five-day lead trainers’ workshop under the Government of India’s flagship Mission Karmayogi initiative, Khandu emphasized that public servants must be equipped with the right attitude, knowledge, and skills to meet the governance challenges of the 21st century.

“Mission Karmayogi is not just another training programme. It is a transformative journey—a movement to reorient government employees to go beyond routine work, act with empathy, serve with humility, and solve with creativity,” the Chief Minister stated.

The workshop, being jointly organized for officials from Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, is conducted by the Capacity Building Commission (CBC) of the Government of India. It follows a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Arunachal’s Administrative Training Institute and the CBC.

Khandu stressed that the purpose of the workshop extended beyond skill enhancement.

“It’s about changing mindsets—doing things differently and with purpose. Real change doesn’t begin with policies or memos; it begins within us—in how we show up, and in how we treat the people who walk into public offices,” he added.
He made a strong pitch for culturally sensitive development, cautioning against extremes:

“If development erodes our cultural values, that’s a tragedy. But equally tragic is rejecting progress in the name of preserving culture.”

The Chief Minister also stressed the need to improve the happiness index alongside infrastructure and governance reforms.

“If governance improves but the happiness index declines, then we’ve missed the point,” he remarked.

Khandu reiterated his government’s commitment to inclusive development, ensuring benefits reach the most underserved sections of society. He affirmed that Mission Karmayogi will strengthen last-mile service delivery, particularly through a shift from rule-based to role-based HR management, digital upskilling, enhanced training modernization, and performance-driven governance.

Describing Mission Karmayogi as the world’s largest civil services capacity-building initiative, Khandu praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership in launching the reform.

Urging the lead trainers to fully engage with the training process, he asked them to return to their respective districts ready to guide future master trainers. He encouraged adopting a citizen-first approach, asking them to reflect on questions like:

“How welcoming is your office?”

“Are you responsive to public concerns?”

“Do your staff treat citizens with respect?”

“Are grievances being resolved effectively?”

He set a September deadline for the completion of Mission Karmayogi’s training modules across the state.

Notable dignitaries present at the event included Chief Secretary Manish Kumar Gupta, Dr. R. Balasubramaniam (Member, HR, CBC), Joint Secretary Shyama Prasad Roy, consultants from CBC, and lead trainers from both Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.