The 11th capacity-building programme for 40 Sri Lankan civil service officers focused on ‘Disaster Management’ and successfully concluded at the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) in India on 10 July 2026. The two-week programme was organised under a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in 2024, which aims to train 1500 Sri Lankan civil servants over five years. With this programme, a total of 440 officers have successfully undergone training under this initiative.
The programme enhanced participants’ expertise in disaster preparedness, early warning system, mitigation strategies, national security, and governance reforms. The officers gained deep insights into India’s flagship digital and administrative initiatives, such as PM Gati Shakti, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), Aadhaar, and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
The participants undertook field visits to India’s frontline disaster response and research institutions. These included National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA), Haryana State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), PM Gati Shakti Experimental Centre, and Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya.
In the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, the training equips Sri Lankan civil servants to effectively deploy modern crisis-response and mitigation strategies within ongoing domestic recovery efforts. By empowering officials with advanced knowledge in disaster management, the initiative strengthens Sri Lanka’s governance frameworks against future climate and environmental exigencies.
Capacity-building stands as a cornerstone of India’s development cooperation with Sri Lanka. Further reinforcing this commitment, Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, during his State Visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025, announced additional 700customized training slots annually for Sri Lankan professionals. This significantly enhanced capacity-building endeavour of India thus will now benefit 1000 Sri Lankans annually.
