New Delhi: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today had a wide ranging discussion over Video Conferencing with the Director and Faculty of the Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) on Covid-19 related issues and how they are being handled by the Academy. He was briefed on how SOPs have been formed for different aspects of the functioning of the Academy including training of IAS officer Trainees of Phase-I. The classes are being conducted online which are accessed by them in their respective rooms. Similarly, food is being reached to the hostels and the utensils and room cleaning is done by the Officer Trainees themselves. Covid-19 related inputs have been given through various mechanisms including showing films, online discussion, assignments and structured inputs.
Director, LBSNAA, briefed the Hon’ble Minister about the initiatives taken in the wake of pandemic like Academy’s initiatives in documenting best practices for mitigating COVID-19 Centre for Disaster Management, completion of Phase-I Training through online mode/ assessment/ reviews, IT infrastructure and up-gradation for COVID 19, Medical infrastructure and up-gradation for COVID-19, Civil Services Association to reach to support National Disasters (CARUNA), Outreach to local communities- Tibetan, CPWD workers among others.
The Academy has reinvented its training through innovative use of technology and learning management system and all inputs and assignments by officer trainees are being routed through its own Gyan portal. It has also come up with an Internet Radio facility to aid these efforts.
The officer trainees have also been encouraged to take up various activities and competitions through different clubs and societies. The Society for Social Services has been involved in getting face masks made by the self-help groups and distribution to officer trainees and staff and also distribution of ration to indigent families in and around the Academy in collaboration with district administration. The Centre for Disaster Management is collecting best practices in Covid-19 management from across the country and different faculty members of the Academy are involved in the initiative of the civil services association namely CARUNA.
All the sections in the Academy have made their own SOPs relating to social distancing and hygiene etc. All staff of the Academy including outsourced workers have been trained by faculty of the Academy as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines. All protocols of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are being followed in line with the instructions of district administration as well.
Dr.Jitendra Singh appreciated the steps taken by the Academy and expressed the hope that many more such novel efforts would be taken to mitigate the crisis.
