I was one of the fortunate participants, who got an opportunity to attend second Joint International Training Programme (New Delhi + London) on Public Policy Management in Parliamentary Democracy organized by Parliamentary & Administrative Research Institute, India and DODS, London during 20-30 November, 2018. I am very thankful to my Department to nominate me for such an outstanding training programme organized by PARI. I am also thankful to entire team of PARI and DODS London to provide us an opportunity to attend a unique training propgramme which is a beautiful blend of training, discussion on subjects and also the practical experience of things which would never be possible without their support. During the well managed training programme, we got an opportunity to know the working of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. We were fortunate to get brief on working of these two pillar institutions of our Democracy from the officers having vast experience of working in these institutions. We got a chance to meet Secretary, Rajya Sabha and get his valuable inputs on working of our Parliament.

Although, as CSS officers, we are having opportunities to work on Parliamentary matters and also to visit Parliament on many occasions, however, getting in-depth knowledge of working of Indian Parliament from the officers having enormous experience in the working and also the practical experience of the Parliament was unforgettable. These inputs from the officers of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha certainly would enhance our understanding of the working of these institutions and also enhance our capacity to deal with the parliamentary matters in our organizations. These types of training programmes also fill the gap of understanding between the officers of Secretariat and the Parliamentary institutions.

The opportunity to visit London, the mother of Parliamentary Democracy is equally informative and unforgettable experience. The cordial behavior of DODS officers and the guest lecturers, who happen to be the Members of Parliament themselves, is unbelievable. We got a chance to visit UK Parliament (both House of Commons and House of Lords) and Supreme Court of UK and witness the live proceedings of these institutions. The working culture of these institutions and their members teach us many lessions. The knowledge shared by guests on working of UK Parliament is priceless and unmatchable.  We also got an opportunity to know the social and cultural wealth of UK/ London by visiting may important historical and cultural places there. These were life time experience and great moments for us.

However, I felt that the period of training is very short and duration could be longer at least 15 days. The schedule could be prepared keeping in mind that everybody gets enough time to understand the Parliamentary Democracy in both the countries as this is a vast subject and cannot be covered in such a short period. Further, there should be a course coordinator who could accompany the team from Delhi and guide the entire team at London.

I once again thank all the officers of PARI and DODS for their help and support and wish them all the success in providing such a wonderful training opportunity to Government officers.

Thank You.