The IT revolution has given way to the age of artificial intelligence (AI), and India’s systems of governance must change to keep pace with its people’s aspirations, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said, calling the next 20 years crucial for the country’s development.
Addressing a Mission Karmayogi workshop organised by the Capacity Building Commission in Vijayawada on Tuesday (September 29, 2026), Mr. Naidu said the country had enormous opportunities, advanced technologies such as AI, a large young population and growing aspirations. The key question was how effectively governance systems and institutions could respond to these aspirations, he said.
“The next 20 years are extremely crucial for India’s development. Our systems and institutions have to undergo revolutionary changes during this period,” he said.
Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s journey from selling tea at a railway station to becoming Prime Minister as an example of capacity building, Mr. Naidu said an Andhra Pradesh teacher had also been able to come forward and address the gathering after undergoing capacity-building programmes.
He said the objective should be to make the best use of the opportunities available in India. It was with this objective that the Centre had introduced the iGOT-Mission Karmayogi programme through the Capacity Building Commission, he said.
Online training through iGOT-Mission Karmayogi would enable government employees to continuously upgrade their skills. Officials and employees, from the State level to the field level, needed regular training to improve the quality of public services, he said.
Referring to China’s economic transformation, Mr. Naidu said it had begun in 1978 and China had significantly enhanced its capabilities over the following decades. India had comparable opportunities and resources and needed to examine why it had lagged behind in utilising them, he said.
He said Indians had demonstrated their capabilities globally and that, irrespective of changes in political leadership, all Indians should work towards taking the country to the highest level.
The aspirations of Indians had changed after the economic reforms and governance systems should evolve accordingly, he said, adding that Indians were leading major global companies such as Google and Microsoft.
“The IT revolution came earlier, and now it is the age of AI. We have to change accordingly”Chandrababu Naidu
Chief Minister said the Jan Vishwas reforms had therefore assumed greater importance and regulations too should be aligned with the changing requirements. Unnecessary regulations that hindered progress should be removed or simplified, he said.
Real-time governance
Mr. Naidu said the State government was using Real Time Governance to continuously monitor administration and the quality of citizen services. Systems such as the Data Lake and e-office were helping the government take decisions faster, and key performance indicators were being monitored continuously to issue directions at the field level.
He congratulated the State government machinery for completing two crore courses through the iGOT-Mission Karmayogi portal and said this had placed Andhra Pradesh among the leading States.
Government employees played a crucial role in dealing with natural disasters, festivals and major public programmes, often setting aside their families for public service, he said.
“We can never ignore them. These training programmes are being undertaken to enhance their capabilities and equip them with new skills,” he said.
The Mission Karmayogi initiative was also aimed at developing leadership qualities, Mr. Naidu said, adding that people should spend more time on capacity building rather than on reels.
Technology and procedures needed to be integrated to improve the quality of services. Continuous information-sharing among government departments was essential for faster decision-making, he said.
He called for developing skills to identify and resolve problems before they turned into crises and said the government machinery should be prepared to promote welfare, development and wealth creation.
Improving the quality of life of every citizen should be the common objective, he said, adding that initiatives such as P4 could contribute to improving living standards.
Mr. Naidu said the country’s regions, languages and cultures might be different, but the collective goal should be to take India to the top in the next 20 years.
He recalled that the undivided Andhra Pradesh government had earlier worked to enhance the capabilities of officials and employees through its Human Resources Development Centre.
Universities and private organisations should also be involved in capacity-building initiatives, he said.
Published – September 29, 2026 03:21 pm IST
