Bhubaneswar: Gopabandhu Academy of Administration (GAA), with its high class infrastructure and training eco-system has upgraded itself as a Partner Training Institute of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).
Previously, the Academy conducted special training on disaster management for IAS probationers. It also conducted administrative training for officers from Central Secretariat Service and Chhattisgarh Civil Service. Bharat Darshan programme for full batch of IAS Probationers sponsored by LBSNAA was also conducted by the Academy recently.
Odisha chief secretary Suresh Chnadra Mahapatra Monday inaugurated the Special Foundation Course Training for All India Services (AIS) officers from Indian Railway Traffic Service ( IRTS) and Indian Postal and Telegraph Account & Finance Service cadre in the presence of director general of GAA Ranjana Chopra, vice chancellor Utkal University Dr Sabita Acharaya, course coordinator Manish Agrawal, dean National University of Law,Prof. R.P.Tripathy and additional commissioner Himanshu Bhusan Panda.
In his inaugural address Mahapatra asked GAA to make the training programme “memorable with field visits and practical exposure to ground level management”. The training programme should not be confined to monotonous class room learning type”.
Mahapatra added, “Odisha today is a faster growing economy at the national level. In last twenty years Odisha has set new benchmarks in disaster management, farmers’ empowerment, and innovative IT applications”. “After the years of heavy capital investment in development of infrastructure like roads, bridges and embankments, the State is now investing for transformative changes in health, education, agriculture, women empowerment and sports”. Odisha ranked among top-3 investment destinations in India. High performance Center in different sports and athletics was set up and made operational in Kalinga Stadium. Odisha successfully organized international sports and athletic events. He expressed the hope that days would not be very far “when Odisha trained sportsmen would shine as Olympiads”.
Further, Mahapatra said that State’s green coverage increased to around 40% of its total geographical area with rich bio-diversity. He advised the trainee officers to experience Odisha’s dense forest with exquisite flora and fauna from a close range. He highlighted how the State has reestablished its traditional sculpture and craftsmanship in the national and global market. Sri Mahapatra also explained how the whole administrative set up operated as “one coherent unit in saving the human life and serving the people at emergency under a stable and strong political set up during last two decades”.
Director general Chopra said that GAA is now all set to impart national level training to officers of different cadres. The academy has got a well-knit collaboration with world class academic institutions and experts from various fields. She advised the trainees to undertake the training with “strong will power by removing all pre-conceived and subjective ideas about people, administration and management”.
Course coordinator Sri Manish Agrawal said that “Special foundation Course is being conducted for first time in GAA in collaboration with LBSNAA”. Twenty nine officers joined the course. This would be a 15-week course with a “suitable mix of indoor academic and outdoor sessions”. The course structure included Law, Political Systems, Indian Constitution, Economics, Public Administration, Management, History and Culture, Application of IT etc. There would be village visits’, forest tracking, visit to industrial clusters, make in Odisha conclave, and the places of historic as well as archeological importance.
