NEW DELHI: Over four lakh government employees prioritised professional development by dedicating at least four hours to learning during the recently concluded national learning week, the Centre has said. For one week, from October 19 to 27, India’s government workforce came together in an extraordinary journey of learning and growth through “Karmayogi Saptah”, a national learning week initiative, it said.
“This wasn’t simply about completing courses – it was a movement that brought public servants across departments closer in their shared pursuit of professional excellence and personal development. Through Karmayogi Saptah, government employees – from the youngest officers to senior officials – stepped forward, committing to enrich their skills and mindsets for a changing world,” said the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.
Karmayogi Saptah’s impact is clear in its numbers – with a staggering 45.6 lakh course enrolments, 32.6 lakh completions and more than 38 lakh learning hours, the event set a precedent for large-scale, impactful learning initiatives, it said.
The week saw 4.3 lakh participants dedicating at least four hours to learning, while 37,000 Group A officers, along with many senior officials, prioritized professional development, the statement said.
“Over 23,800 dedicating four or more hours to new learning. Joint Secretaries and higher-ranking officials were also deeply engaged, demonstrating that commitment to learning starts at the top,” it said.
At the inaugural event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India’s first public human resources competency model: The Karmayogi Competency Model, which takes inspiration from the indigenous knowledge systems and has elaborated the key ‘sankalpas’ (resolves) and ‘gunas’ (virtues) every Karmayogi official should adopt and implement in their workplaces, the statement said.
For those who participated, Karmayogi Saptah felt less like a standard government program and more like a festival of knowledge, it added.
From ministry to ministry, the employees at all levels embraced this chance to step out of their daily routines, not just to learn but to foster a culture of curiosity and engagement, the statement said.
The week became a “festival of learning,” where the government staff, from entry-level employees to senior joint secretaries, shared a common mission: to pursue excellence through education, it said, adding that the initiative saw participants not only completing courses but transforming their mindset towards continuous learning and self-improvement.
Behind every statistic from Karmayogi Saptah lies a story of dedication and inspiration. “One senior officer, known for a demanding schedule, devoted time to emerging technologies and modern governance courses. This personal commitment resonated with their peers, showing that, at every level, the desire to grow is what strengthens India’s public service,” the statement said.
Many participants shared how the week opened their minds to new possibilities, strengthened their skills and more importantly connected them with colleagues in meaningful ways.
Each completed hour of learning was not just a statistic but a stepping stone to more agile, informed governance, it said.
During national learning week, the energy and commitment among the public servants were palpable – average daily course completions jumped from a steady 40,000 before the week to an extraordinary 3.55 lakh, a testament to the enthusiasm that this initiative sparked across the government workforce, the Personnel Ministry said in the statement dated November 8.
Some of the courses that saw completions during the week are “Overview of Vikshit Bharat 2047 with more than 3.8 lakh completions, Swachata Hi Seva 2024 with 1.5 lakh completions and Jan Bhagidari with more than 44,000 completions, it said.
The national learning week featured the “Indic Day Webinar Series”, on October 21, 2024. Esteemed speakers from diverse domains shared their insights on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), civilisational development, offering a rich understanding of how traditional wisdom and modern innovations intersect,” the statement said.
Some of the prominent speakers during the National Learning Week included Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (topic: Secrets of Living a Stress-Free Life), M K Sridhar (topic: National Education Policy), Soumya Swaminathan (topic: India Public Health Towards Viksit Bharat), Sister B K Shivani (topic: Creating a Mindful Work Culture: Strategies for Leaders and Teams), Kris Gopalakrishnan (topic: Making India an R&D Superpower) and IKS speakers, David Frawley, Raghava Krishna and Amritanshu Pandey, among others.
“The success of Karmayogi Saptah is a reminder that a commitment to continuous learning can shape not only careers but also the nation’s path forward, one empowered public servant at a time,” the statement said.
Karmayogi Saptah stands as a powerful reminder of what is possible when a country invests in the continuous growth of its public servants, honouring their dedication to serving India with knowledge, empathy and excellence, it added.