The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) seems to be working on a policy drive to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into the core of governance. The DoPT Secretary, Rachna Shah (IAS:1991:KL), gave a clear hint about it on Monday while addressing a Samuhik Charcha on “AI in Public Governance” as part of Mission Karmayogi’s National Learning Week (SADHANA Saptah).
Shah referred to emerging AI-enabled solutions such as automated salary processing, anomaly detection in reimbursements, chatbot-based grievance handling, and real-time note generation, while noting that tools like AI Medha, Bhashini and AI Coach are already being explored within government systems.
According to a statement released by the Personnel Ministry, Shah stressed the need for AI adoption to improve “accuracy, transparency, uniformity and cost efficiency” in governance but cautioned that safeguards around privacy, ethical use and cybersecurity must be there into systems, keeping in mind the sensitive nature of government data.
She also emphasized the need for capacity-building through AI courses on the iGOT (integrated government online training) platform to ensure effective and responsible utilisation of these technologies.
DoPT’s Joint Secretary (Training) and Karmayogi Bharat CEO Chhavi Bhardwaj (IAS:2008:MP) talked about the DoPT’s structured approach across three key dimensions—capacity building, data-driven decision support, and workforce management.
She said that AI is already being used to reduce the cost and time required to develop training content on the iGOT platform—from months to about a week and at a fraction of earlier costs—while future efforts will focus on hyper-personalised learning pathways and competency-based assessments.
Bhardwaj highlighted the potential of AI in analysing performance appraisal data, improving cadre management, and enabling intelligent decision-support systems, while underlining that all such deployments must prioritise data confidentiality through on-premise or government cloud solutions.
Additional Secretary Manoj Kumar Dwivedi (IAS:1997:AGMUT) concluded the discussion, emphasizing the need to move towards institutionalised, system-wide integration within DoPT’s ecosystem.
According to him, there are three priority areas—training, policy formulation, and data-driven human resource management—where AI can deliver tangible gains, including intelligent query systems and decision-support frameworks.
Dwivedi flagged data confidentiality as a critical concern requiring dedicated protocols and training while saying that unless AI tools are embedded into routine workflows, adoption would remain limited.
He warned that failure to keep pace with technological advancements could widen the efficiency gap between government and the private sector.
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