Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh felicitated top-performing Ministries, Departments and States at the “SADHANA Saptah 2026” ceremony.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the awards system has been reoriented away from individual profiling to performance linked to flagship programmes and the resolution of complex challenges at the district level, marking a shift towards results-based evaluation in governance.

Highlighting the scale of participation, the Minister said the week-long initiative recorded over 3.18 crore course completions, with nearly 47 lakh government employees taking part. Of these, more than 33 lakh completed the prescribed four hours of learning. He noted that the activity was nearly eight times higher than the earlier National Learning Week, reflecting both scale and a behavioural shift towards continuous learning in government.

Describing “SADHANA Saptah” as a “people-driven movement”, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the initiative has fostered a culture where officials across cadres are engaging in learning out of professional commitment rather than compulsion, contributing to what he termed a broader shift towards professional pride and self-improvement within the civil services.

The Minister emphasised that the initiative has been notably inclusive, with strong participation from Group C and D employees and frontline functionaries, alongside senior officers. This, he said, reinforces the idea that capacity building must cut across hierarchies and directly strengthen service delivery and public trust.

Dr. Jitendra Singh also underlined the role of States and Union Territories, noting their leadership and active involvement in driving participation, particularly at the grassroots level where the impact of improved skills is immediately visible in citizen-facing services.

Referring to institutional mechanisms, he highlighted the contribution of the Capacity Building Commission as a relatively new initiative that has enabled wider outreach and collaboration, including engagement with the private sector, helping scale up capacity-building efforts across the system.

The Minister said the government is also expanding the scope of training to new domains, including science administrators and academicians, with similar orientation efforts being explored for parliamentarians and ministers, reflecting a broader approach to preparing institutions for evolving governance demands.

On technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh described artificial intelligence and digital tools as key enablers of future-ready governance, noting that government employees are increasingly adopting emerging competencies to keep pace with change. At the same time, he cautioned that technology must complement human judgement, stressing that integrity remains central to public service.

The Minister also pointed to the evolution of the government’s learning platform from a “primitive” beginning into a widely used interface, supporting large-scale participation and continuous engagement across departments.

Congratulating the awardees, including Ministries, States, training institutions and ecosystem partners, Dr. Jitendra Singh said such recognition sets benchmarks for the broader Mission Karmayogi framework and reinforces the need to carry forward the spirit of continuous learning as an integral part of governance.

The developments underline the Centre’s ongoing efforts to institutionalise capacity building as a continuous process, linking learning outcomes with governance performance while preparing civil services for emerging technological and administrative challenges.

PHOTO: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh addressing the valedictory session of "SADHANA Saptah 2026”, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on Friday.

 

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