Hyderabad: NIRDPR & ASCI sign MoU

Hyderabad: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) and Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) on Thursday in virtual mode with a view to collaborating in teaching, training, research and consultancy areas namely social business, sustainable development goals, rural management organisational development, finance.

The MoU was signed by Dr G Narendra Kumar, Director General, NIRDPR and Dr Nirmalya Bagchi, Director-General (i/c), ASCI, in the presence of Dr Valli Manickam, professor, Dean of Training Programmes and director, Centre for Innovation and Technology, ASCI, and Shashi Bhushan, deputy director-General, and Dr M Srikanth, associate professor and registrar & director (Admn.) I/c, NIRDPR and other officials from ASCI and NIRDPR.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kumar felt that both the organisations have unique strengths. The collaboration would be a catalyst in further synergising their operations through joint bidding of research projects, conducting of joint management development programmes, among others. He opined that the experience of ASCI may be leveraged, in view of increasing need of 'autonomy of NIRDPR' in future.

Dr Bagchi stated that ASCI has been a self-financing organisation since 1984 by conducting executive development programmes for top and middle-level managers both in government and private sectors. She mentioned that the MoU could be perpetual in nature. A core committee would be constituted soon to finalise annual action plan to achieve the intended objectives of the MoU.