The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) has launched a ‘Virtual Centre for Excellence in Public Procurement’ at its New Delhi Centre. The event was attended by dignitaries from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and various government bodies. The Chairman of the Capacity Building Commission, Shri Adil Zainulbhai, was the chief guest and emphasized the importance of capacity building in public procurement. The Advisor, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Shri Sanjay Aggarwal, commended ASCI for raising the bar of public procurement capacity building in India and praised the Virtual Centre as a significant step towards achieving better procurement outcomes.
Ms. Anna Wielogorska, Practice Manager (Procurement), South Asia Region at the World Bank, delivered the keynote address and acknowledged ASCI’s commendable efforts in conducting training programs for the past 28 years. The Virtual Centre aims to address the evolving needs of the public procurement sector and enhance the efficiency, transparency, and professionalism of public procurement practices in India.
During the ceremony, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, and ASCI to conduct training programs on Public Procurement Principles. The event also included informative presentations by Prof. Rutwik Phatak and Prof. BVN Sachendra on the issues and challenges faced by public procurement in India and ASCI’s upcoming programs in the field of public procurement for the year 2023-24.
The launch of ASCI’s Virtual Centre for Excellence in Public Procurement is expected to empower professionals in the field and promote fairness and transparency in public procurement.
