New Delhi: The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has indicated a significant policy push towards integrating artificial intelligence into the core architecture of governance, with senior officials outlining how AI could soon become central to administrative functioning, public service delivery, and workforce management.
The indication came during a Samuhik Charcha on “AI in Public Governance”, organised under Mission Karmayogi during SADHANA Saptah, where Rachna Shah, Secretary, DoPT, laid out the government’s emerging approach to AI-led governance reform.
Rachna Shah Highlights AI Use Cases Already Under Exploration
Addressing officials, Rachna Shah referred to multiple AI-enabled applications already being explored within government systems.
These include:
- automated salary processing
- anomaly detection in reimbursements
- chatbot-based grievance redressal
- real-time note generation
She also pointed to existing digital tools such as:
- AI Medha
- Bhashini
- AI Coach
According to her, these tools indicate that AI adoption is already moving beyond experimentation into practical governance use.
Focus on Accuracy, Transparency and Cost Efficiency
The DoPT Secretary stressed that AI can improve governance by strengthening:
- accuracy
- transparency
- uniformity
- cost efficiency
However, she cautioned that government adoption must proceed with safeguards.
She underlined the importance of:
- privacy protection
- ethical use
- cybersecurity safeguards
particularly because government systems handle highly sensitive citizen and administrative data.
AI Capacity Building Through iGOT Platform
A major emphasis was placed on preparing government personnel for responsible AI use.
Rachna Shah said AI-related courses should be expanded on iGOT Karmayogi to build institutional capacity across ministries and departments.
The objective is to ensure officials understand both:
- AI opportunities
- AI risks
before large-scale deployment.
Chhavi Bhardwaj Outlines Three-Dimensional AI Strategy
Chhavi Bhardwaj, Joint Secretary (Training) and CEO of Karmayogi Bharat, explained that DoPT’s AI strategy currently revolves around three core pillars:
- capacity building
- data-driven decision support
- workforce management
She said AI has already sharply reduced the time needed to create training content for the iGOT platform.
Earlier, course creation took months; now it can be completed in roughly one week at much lower cost.
Hyper-Personalised Learning and Competency-Based Assessments Planned
According to Chhavi Bhardwaj, future plans include:
- hyper-personalised learning pathways
- competency-linked assessments
- adaptive training modules
These changes are expected to make civil service learning more targeted and measurable.
AI Could Transform Cadre Management and Appraisal Systems
Bhardwaj also highlighted AI’s potential role in analysing:
- performance appraisal records
- cadre management data
- posting patterns
She said intelligent decision-support systems may help improve HR decisions in future.
At the same time, she stressed that such systems must run only on:
- on-premise infrastructure or
- government cloud systems
to maintain confidentiality.
Manoj Kumar Dwivedi Calls for Institutionalised Integration
Concluding the discussion, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Additional Secretary in DoPT, said AI adoption must move from isolated pilots to institutional integration.
He identified three priority sectors where immediate gains are possible:
- training systems
- policy formulation
- data-driven human resource management
Warning Against Falling Behind Private Sector
Manoj Kumar Dwivedi warned that delayed adoption of AI could widen the efficiency gap between government and private institutions.
He noted that unless AI tools become part of everyday administrative workflows, actual adoption will remain limited.
He also called for dedicated protocols on:
- data confidentiality
- responsible deployment
- staff training
before wider rollout.
