High Commission of India
Colombo

 PRESS RELEASE

 Capacity Building Programme for 40 Sri Lankan Civil Service Officers In India

A group of 40 Sri Lankan Civil Service Officers attended a comprehensive capacity-building programme on “Disaster Management” at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), India, which concluded on 21 August 2026. 

2. 2. As the fifth specialized training under “Disaster Management” theme, the programme aimed to strengthen the capabilities of civil service officers engaged in disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience-building.
   
   
3. 3. The programme covered topics such as disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies; disaster management planning and policy; response mechanisms and field operations; early warning systems; urban and local resilience; building state capacity to manage disaster; and implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, among others. 
   
   
4. 4. The participants undertook field visits to key institutions, including National Disaster Management Authority, National Disaster Response Force, Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, and Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force.
   
   
5. 5. This initiative forms part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between NCGG and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration during the State Visit of President H.E. Anura Kumara Dissanayake to India in 2024 to train 1500 Sri Lankan civil service officers over five years. 

6. 6. Capacity-building stands as a cornerstone of India’s development cooperation with Sri Lanka. Further reinforcing this commitment, Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, during his State Visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025, announced additional 700customized training slots annually for Sri Lankan professionals. This significantly enhanced capacity-building endeavour of India thus now benefits 1000 Sri Lankans annually. 

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Colombo
21 August 2026