Key Highlights:

  • Taking IIPA beyond Delhi: Dr. Jitendra Singh said nationwide outreach is key to inclusive capacity building in governance.
  • Branches get a bigger role: As of March 31, 2026, IIPA had 26 regional branches and 43 local branches, which will be strengthened as channels for wider participation.
  • Membership at 11,611: The membership framework has been opened up to younger professionals and recent graduates.
  • Digital push: The minister highlighted online courses, digital learning and private-sector collaboration as ways to reach more people.
  • High-level meeting: Vice President and IIPA President C.P. Radhakrishnan attended the 72nd Annual General Body Meeting.

For decades, training in public administration has mostly been centred on the national capital. The Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) now wants to change that.

Addressing IIPA’s 72nd Annual General Body Meeting in New Delhi on Saturday, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh said that wider geographical reach would make the Institute’s learning resources, academic activities and professional networks available to many more people. Dr. Singh, who is also Chairman of the IIPA Executive Council, called nationwide outreach a key priority for inclusive capacity building in governance.

He said IIPA’s recent efforts to extend its activities beyond the national capital had been encouraging. He urged the Institute to build on this momentum, so that capacity-building opportunities reach officials and professionals in different regions and are not confined to Delhi.

The minister said IIPA’s Regional and Local Branches should be strengthened and used as important channels for wider participation, professional engagement and sharing of knowledge. The network is already large. As of March 31, 2026, IIPA had 26 regional branches and 43 local branches across the country. A stronger regional presence, Dr. Singh said, would help the Institute connect better with public administration professionals and take its academic and training work to more parts of the country.

Younger Members, Digital Classrooms

The minister also spoke about how IIPA’s membership framework has been broadened, including opportunities for younger professionals and recent graduates to join. With membership now at 11,611, the Institute can bring together a wider and more diverse community of experienced administrators, young professionals, researchers and others interested in public administration.

This could change who learns governance and how. Membership is no longer limited mainly to serving and retired officials, so students and early-career professionals can now join a network that was earlier largely closed to them.

Dr. Singh said digital learning and online courses would play a major role in widening access to knowledge and training. He also stressed collaboration with the private sector and new ways of making learning resources available to a larger audience. These efforts, he said, can complement the Institute’s physical presence and increase participation in capacity-building programmes.

Online courses could make the biggest difference. An official in a district far from any IIPA branch may never be able to attend a programme in Delhi, but could join one online. Partnerships with the private sector could also bring new tools, content and reach that a government institute might struggle to build alone.

The meeting was held in the presence of the Vice President of India and President of IIPA, C.P. Radhakrishnan, along with senior officials, members of the Institute’s governing bodies and representatives of its academic and administrative community.

The message from the meeting was that IIPA wants to reach officials and professionals well beyond the capital, and online courses are central to how it plans to do that.

This story is based on inputs from IANS.