IFS trainee officers get glimpse of good governance initiatives

Patna: Trainee officers of the Indian Foreign Service (batch-2025), as part of their training programme, visited various departments of the state govt on Wednesday. Their visit is aimed at helping them understand the state’s development initiatives, its rich culture and heritage and tourism treasure.The training started from Jan 19 and will continue till Jan 23.On Wednesday, the officers met tourism minister Arun Shankar Prasad, science, technology and technical education minister Sunil Kumar and his department’s secretary Pratima; art and culture secretary Pranav Kumar and tourism director-cum-special secretary Udayan Mishra to gain in-depth knowledge about Bihar.Tourism minister welcomed the trainee officers at the departmental office located in the main secretariat.Art and culture department secretary Pranav Kumar and tourism department special secretary Udayan Mishra provided information about Bihar’s rich historical heritage, spiritual sites, vibrant culture, traditional arts and growing tourism potential. The trainee officers learned about the state’s vision for promoting Bihar on the global tourism map and understood opportunities for expansion at the international-level.

Under the programme, trainee officers will visit various tourist places, aspirational districts and ODOP (one district one product) districts, which will reflect Bihar’s role in realising the vision of developed India. “This visit of IFS trainee officers is an opportunity to showcase Bihar’s development plans at national and international levels, which will accelerate the state’s economic progress in future,” read the official press release.At the science, technology and technical education department, discussions covered India’s role in the evolving global order, emerging geopolitical developments, and contemporary international issues. The role and contribution of the Bihari diaspora at the global-level also came up during the discussions.Minister Sunil Kumar apprised the officers of efforts being made by the department to make technical education in the state more employment-oriented.

Emphasis was laid on demand-driven and market-driven courses, with AI and other emerging technologies being integrated into the regular curriculum to enhance the global competitiveness of students. The probationary officers also shared their perspectives on various initiatives undertaken by the department.Secretary Pratima briefed the officers about the roles, responsibilities, functioning, and best practices of the department. The officers were also informed about the establishment of language laboratories where students are being trained in foreign languages such as French, German, and Japanese, enabling them to better access international opportunities, multinational companies, and global academic collaborations.