Improving Performance of Government Employees of Karnataka through Training and Capacity Building – An Implementation Model
Study Team: Poornima G.R.; Dr. Sanjeev Kenchaigol; Sukriti Bharadwaj (literature review); with support from Dr. Meena Nair; under the guidance of G. Gurucharan.
Improving Performance of Government Employees of Karnataka through Training and Capacity Building: An Implementation Model presents a comprehensive assessment of the training and capacity-building needs of Group C and Group D employees of the Government of Karnataka, undertaken by the Public Affairs Centre (PAC) for the Sixth State Pay Commission. Based on field visits to district, taluk, and gram panchayat offices, interactions with government officials, District Training Institutes (DTIs), the Administrative Training Institute (ATI), and the State Institute for Rural Development (SIRD), the study evaluates existing training systems, institutional capacity, and skill gaps while proposing an implementable model for strengthening employee performance. The report finds that training programmes are largely ad hoc, lack systematic needs assessments, department-specific modules, dedicated budgets, and robust monitoring mechanisms, resulting in inadequate functional, technical, and behavioural capacity among frontline government staff. To address these gaps, it recommends institutionalising annual training needs assessments, introducing mandatory induction, promotion-linked and refresher training, developing department-specific training curricula, strengthening DTIs and ATI through improved infrastructure and staffing, creating dedicated training budgets, decentralising training delivery, establishing monitoring and evaluation systems, and implementing a comprehensive state-wide training policy. Overall, the report argues that continuous, competency-based capacity building is essential for improving employee productivity, strengthening public service delivery, enhancing accountability, and enabling more efficient, citizen-centric governance in Karnataka.
