A group of students from the Indian School of Business (ISB) had the opportunity of gaining insight and understanding best practices in policy making from Ajit Seth, Cabinet Secretary to Government of India, at the Civil Services Officers’ Institute, New Delhi.
These students are currently enrolled in the Government Performance Management (GVPM) course offered under the aegis of the Bharti Institute of Public Policy at ISB. The course is taught by Prajapati Trivedi, former Secretary (Performance Management), Government of India, as part of the ISB’s one year Post Graduate Programme in Management.
The objective of the course, says a press release from ISB, is to leverage the opportunities presented by the Government to involve young people to solve the problems of the country. In a meeting lasting over 90 minutes, the Cabinet Secretary, Ajit Seth, shared some of the challenges and the excitement of being in public service. He provided a bird's eye view on the many important matters of economy and administration concerning the nation and also shared examples of best practices and challenges faced by the Government in the areas of policy and management. He fielded several questions from students on how they could work with the Government and contribute to nation building.
Speaking about the significance of this meeting, Pradeep Singh, CEO of Mohali Campus and Deputy Dean of ISB, said, “ISB is one of the few schools in the world which offers a course on Government Performance Management, and the student interaction with the Cabinet Secretary represents the essence of our approach at ISB’s Bharti Institute. We view public policy from the additional lens of ‘effective management’.
Sharing her experience, Lipika Rao, a student of the PGP Class of 2015, said, “The meeting helped us understand how the administrative machinery works, best practices implemented and how every professional can help run the nation. Contrary to popular belief, the Government’s functioning is very dynamic and has an effective performance management system in place, is technically advanced and open to implementing innovative ideas that create impact. Even as an MBA graduate working in the private sector, I can create opportunities of bringing effective change in the Government.”