DIRECT INVITE TO IAS OFFICERS BY U.S. UNIVERSITY SETS OFF ALARM BELLS

A foreign training programme advertised for Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers by a United States university has triggered concerns about overseas institutions directly approaching serving civil servants without going through Government of India.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Under existing rules, serving IAS officers can participate in foreign training or capacity-building programmes only through proposals routed and vetted by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). Such programmes must be government-to-government, with scrutiny of funding, hospitality and institutional affiliations. Direct invitations from private foreign institutions are not permitted.

These concerns intensified after the "21st Century India Center" at University of California, San Diego announced an "Emerging Leaders Program" for IAS officers, scheduled for 11-22 May 2026, and invited officers to apply directly. The brochure targeted mid-career IAS officers with 8-10 years of service who are "serving in high-impact positions" in state or central government.

According to the programme document, the two-week course was to include academic sessions at UC San Diego; interactions with faculty, researchers and students; site visits to US government bodies and private sector organisations; and cultural visits in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The initiative was presented as a fully funded fellowship, offering roundtrip airfare, lodging, local transportation and reimbursement of meals and incidentals. Applications and queries were to be submitted directly to named contacts at the university.