Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar said at an event on Monday that India is rapidly moving away from the colonial mentality. This is achieved by challenging the ideas and symbols of the colonial era. He said this at the 70th annual conference of the Indian Institute of Public Administration. Dhankar stressed that Indian public administration should be infused with Indian characteristics, in line with post-independence aspirations.
For example, he cited the King’s Road which has now become the Road of Duty and the racecourse has been converted into Lok Kalyan Marg. The statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose has been installed at the place where the statue of King George was earlier. The tricolor has been incorporated into the Indian Navy flag and 1500 laws from the colonial period are no longer valid.
New laws free from colonial influence
Dhankar said new laws such as the Indian Judicial Code and the Indian Civil Defense Code freed India’s criminal justice system from colonial influences. There is no need to study medicine or technology in English now, he said. The Vice President emphasized the role of public administration and said that public administration should be in the interest and ethos of the country.
He stressed the need to develop emotional intelligence and soft skills among government officials so that they can understand the issues of marginalized groups. Danka asked civil servants to focus on improving their problem-solving abilities and strengthening moral leadership. He said that moral norms are crucial to national civilization and need to be continuously cultivated.
Pay attention to the application of artificial intelligence
Discussing the use of technology, he suggested that IIPA’s training programs focus on new technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and data analytics. He stressed the need to ensure that technological advances do not further alienate society’s most vulnerable.
