In an incisive 90-minute interaction with the Indian Civil and Administrative Officers Association, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev Founder, Isha Foundation – exhorted the officers to build trust between the administrators and the administered to improve efficiency and effectiveness of governance.

He said officers in the civil services with a 25 to 30-year career were better placed than political leaders with shorter shelf lives, to bring enduring transformation to the Nation. Terming the administrative services “the spine of the Nation” Sadhguru said it was important to inspire a new generation of IAS officers at this “crucial time for the Nation (because) what we do in the next five years may determine what will happen in the coming century.”

The online session was part of the ‘In Challenging Times with Sadhguru’ series and was anchored by Dr. Sanjeev Chopra, IAS (1985 West Bengal) Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.

Officers from around the country participated in the session asking questions mostly related to improving personal and systemic effectiveness in administration. They included Sri. Rajesh Lakhoni, IAS (1992 Tamil Nadu) Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, Government of Tamil Nadu; Sri. Amit Kumar Ghosh, IAS, (1994 , Uttar Pradesh) General Secretary, Indian Civil & Administrative Officers Association Joint Secretary, GOI M/O Road Transport & Highways, New Delhi; Sri. J.M. Balamurugan, IAS, (1994 Punjab) Principal Secretary to Governor, Punjab; Smt. Vijayalakshmi Bidari, IAS (2001 Maharashtra) Controller, U R Rao Satellite Centre (ISRO); Sri Dr. Milind Ramteke, IAS, (2009, Tripura) Deputy Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA); and Sri Kaushal Raj Sharma, IAS, (2006 Uttar Pradesh) District Magistrate, Varanasi.