Indian Economy News

India–Malaysia 2nd Joint Working Group Meeting held on Cooperation in field of Public Administration & Governance Reforms

The 2nd India-Malaysia Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting on Cooperation in the Field of Public Administration and Governance Reforms was held on August 18, 2026, to review bilateral cooperation and identify areas for strengthening institutional engagement. The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Puneet Yadav, Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), and Mr. Datuk Dr. Mohd Bakhari bin Ismail, Deputy Director General of Public Service (Development), Malaysia. Officials from DARPG, the Ministry of External Affairs, the High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur and the National Centre for Good Governance participated from the Indian side. The JWG reviewed progress since its inaugural meeting in November 2024 and designated Points of Contact from both sides to facilitate coordination and implementation of agreed activities. Discussions also covered capacity-building cooperation under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, with Malaysia providing positive feedback on academic modules, institutional and field visits and programme coordination. Proposed capacity-building programmes for 2026 and 2027 were also discussed, including the possibility of specialised programmes for senior Malaysian officials.

The meeting also facilitated an exchange of experiences on public sector modernisation and governance reforms, covering digital government, Artificial Intelligence, cloud services, shared digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, blockchain, data-driven decision-making and connected government. India shared its experience with the Centralised Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) and Samadhan Didi, an AI-enabled voice chatbot launched on May 30, 2026, to make grievance redressal more accessible, multilingual and citizen-centric. Malaysia presented its approach to public sector transformation based on People, Process and Technology, with innovation as an enabler, and shared the Malaysia-India Governance Partnership: 2027-2029 Strategic Roadmap. Both sides agreed to identify concrete, practical and outcome-oriented areas of cooperation and welcomed the exchange of experiences and best practices. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to deepen institutional engagement, knowledge sharing and capacity building to strengthen public institutions, improve public service delivery and enhance citizen experience.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.