India Institute of Secretariat Training & Development (IISTD)

IISTD functions as an apex body to impart training to officers of Central Secretariat Service (CSS) and officers of other organized/subsidiary services functioning in the Central Secretariat. CSS officers form the backbone of the Central Government Ministries/ Departments and normally hold various positions up to the level of Joint Secretaries. The key responsibilities of the CSS officers include policy formulation, execution, monitoring and review.

IISTD has been set up to equip the Government Officials with domain knowledge, functional skills, and behavioural competencies required for managing the task of governance. IISTD provides technical skills of management, human skills for coordination roles and conceptual skills for taking up leadership roles in public policy planning and execution . In its effort to enhance the leadership, managerial, and administrative capabilities of the executives in government and public sector enterprises, the Institute works in close collaboration with national and international organisations.

Good public governance is about a system where there is accountability, transparency, impartiality, fairness and integrity. IISTD of governance have to perform their designated roles. It is important that quality public services are delivered to the citizens, which is the ultimate goal of good governance. There is no denying the fact that there is a need for greater result and outcome orientation in the government system. Bureaucratic reforms are an essential component of governance reforms.

The major activities of the IISTD are: Training, Research, Advisory and Consultancy services, and Information dissemination and exchange. The rising bottom up expectations of the citizenry, complexities of management and the current issues relating to economic restructuring and ensuring the measure of stability and progress at all levels have created pressure for improvements in the training methodology for enhancing professional capability through training programmes. The Institute, needless to emphasis, is alive to the developments taking place in the area of training technology at the global level and the policy changes at the national level. This perspective plan for training of the Institute is a manifest evidence of the Institute’s concern for efficient and effective in Secretariat Training & Development.

IISTD also conducts Executive Development Programme (EDP) for officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above of the Government of India. The areas covered are Financial Management, Management Principles, Good Governance, Knowledge Management, Behavioral Techniques and Cabinet Note Preparation in order to orient them towards effective service delivery in the Central Government. IISTD have designed In-house training with excellent and experienced faculty (well known in their fields internationally & nationally).

Some other activities of IISTD include undertaking research studies, providing consultancy services and development of trainers in training techniques. The Institute also organizes workshops/seminars for SAARC and Commonwealth countries and conducts International Training of Trainers Programme.