1st Members Conclave – December 24, 2023

The Indian Institute of Public Administration, J&K Regional Branch (IIPA-JKRB) first ever Members’ Conclave to commemorate the conferment of Award of Best Performing Regional Branch in the country this year. At the Conclave attended by a mix of galaxy of veterans & young members, the 45years’ momentous journey of IIPA-JKRB was made live in seminar hall by Dr. C M Seth through a PowerPoint Presentation, listing different phases of its growth from a local branch at Srinagar, inaugurated by Prof VKN Menon and the Regional Branch in 1981 with S N Bajpayee as Chairman and Veeranna Aivalli as Hony Secretary. It was a journey of ‘nomadic’ office from Veeranna Aivalli’s official residence in 1978 in Srinagar to an imposing double-story building in 2008 with a permanent address across Gujjar Nagar bridge. Today, it has 408 members. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ashok Bhan, Patron since 2015, aptly categorised past 45 years in three phases. He described the period from 1978 to 1999 as the Foundational phase as during this period a strong foundation was laid by stalwarts like Veeranna Aivalli, M Rehman, Jalil Khan, Wajahat Habibullah and Dr. S. S. Bloeria who provided intellectual stimulus. There was a dedicated team of members with them. The notables among them were T P Singh, Sati Sahni, Ram Sahai, A M Watali, A K Srivastava, Farooq Ahmad, Prem Gupta & Bashir Ahmad Shah. He said during that time, resources were meagre and the programs were managed out of their pockets. He said that a battery of academics and public servants were also involved for the success of these programs. They included M A Nomani, Prof K L Bhatia. Prof Ashok Aima, M S Pandit, Swami Raj Sharma, Prof A N sadhu, Prof Nirmal Kamal, P. P. Sharma, Prof Rekha Choudhary, Prof Keshav Sharma, Prof Y R Malhotra, S D Swatantra, Prof Khurshid Ali, Ghulam Hassan Kaloo &Kh. Bashir Ahmad. The second phase, Dr. Bhan said, was of Infrastructure from 2000 to 2013. In this phase IIPA -JKRB got its own balding with a permanent address. This phase was managed under watchful eyes of Dr. S S Bloeria with Prem Gupta & Swami Raj Sharma, Er. JBS Johar as Hony Secretaries. There were notable contributions from the hosts of members inclining Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Dr C M Seth, Chander Gulati, B N Dhar, V K Kapoor prof Poonam Dhawan, Prof Pathania, Prof Versha MehtaB K Suri, Late Madan Dogra, Dr. G N Qasba, GM Indrabi, M M Gupta etc. The third & the current phase is of Permanent consolidation. Since 2014, the IIPA has had talented members led by B R Sharma as Chairman, like Prof Alka Sharma, Prof Anil Gupta, Prof Komal Nagar, Manoj Pandita etc. This phase has seen many training programs. It is encouraging to see that some research projects have been taken up. The new team has added another floor in the building. He said it was pleasant to see members of all these three phases are present in the audience today to commemorate the achievement of acquiring the top slot in the country. He also made several suggestions which he summed up in two categories of Professional & Procedural. He made special mention of the commendable secretarial support rendered earlier by Pawan Gupta, Ashwani, Ram Singh and now Jatin. Earlier, the Chairman IIPA -KRB, B R Sharma said that this journey and reaching the top position was the result of working together and sharing experiences for the betterment of the society. This would not have been possible without a strong foundation. He complimented by name, the past Chairmen and other office bearers for their huge contributions in the steady growth of IIPA-JKRB and said that everyone of us is indebted to them for making this achievement possible. He said that it is difficult to stay at the top for long and for this, we must work harder than before. He said that our mantra would be to induct more young blood in IIPA, make it relevant and useful to the Govt as well as the society and take up evaluation studies of Govt programs. He said he has taken up with the new Chief Secretary about the restoration of IIPA accommodation in Srinagar to us. Past Patron, Dr. S. S. Bloeria expressed his profound happiness over IIPA JK RB bagging the top position in the country which is a tribute to the sincere and selfless work done by every member of this organisation. He made a special mention of late Veeranna Aivalli for inducting him into IIPA and thanked former V C of Jammu University Prof Amitab Mattoo for giving land where an imposing building is standing today. Wishing IIPA to move from strength to strength in years to come, he stressed the need for increasing membership especially the younger ones and bring down the average age of the organisation to 40. He also advised the management to undertake more activities and research projects. A M Watali, veteran member from Srinagar, who also spoke on the occasion, advised that the lectures and conclusions arrived at seminars and other events of IIPA must be shared with the Government and academic institutions so that they can draw benefits from these. He also expressed his joy over the outstanding achievement. During the interaction with the members to solicit suggestions to further upgrade IIPA’s activities and relevance for good governance, Arun Manhas, Director Industry & Commerce, suggested that IIPA should take up evolution of various Govt landmark programs to benefit the Government through objective & third-party feedback. He mentioned national schemes like mid-day meal, Saksham Bharat and employment generation in new industrial policy in J&K. Manoj Pandita, SSP, also expressed his views on enlarging the canvas of activities of IIPA in fast changing technology and the huge impact of social media. He advised that IIPA’s activities should not only produce light but also heat to make necessary impact through social media. He also advised IIPA to collaborate with all Universities of J&K and take research projects relevant to good governance. Earlier, the Hony Secretary, Prof Alka Sharma welcomed the veterans & members to the first Members’ Conclave and said that this would be made an annual feature. Among the veterans present on the occasion included 96-year-old Gen. Govindan Singh Jamwal. Col. Karan Singh and Dr Anil Gupta conducted the conclave.