Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, PGPPM Alumnus & Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GoI, underscores transformative pathways in agricultural policy and governance.

Bengaluru, August 23, 2025: The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) inaugurated the 22nd batch of Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy & Management (PGPPM) in Classroom Q-101, via hybrid mode. The programme, a flagship initiative of IIMB’s Centre for Public Policy (CPP), continues its legacy of shaping leaders who can navigate India’s governance challenges with clarity, innovation, and empathy.

The incoming cohort of 27 participants includes 10 women and 17 men, representing diverse professional backgrounds from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Indian Railways, and other allied services. In addition, five participants join from the open category, representing the social sector, law, IT, and finance.

Keynote address by PGPPM alum: Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, IAS

The keynote was delivered by Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, IAS (UP cadre, 1989 batch), Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, and an alumnus of the second PGPPM batch (2003–05), where he was a gold medallist.

Reflecting on his own journey, Dr. Chaturvedi described enrolling in the PGPPM as one of the best decisions of his career. He recalled how stepping away from the routine of district administration gave him the space to learn, reflect, and engage with peers across services. “Too often in civil services, we stop learning. The PGPPM was a reminder that life itself is a learning journey. It renews our skills and deepens our humility,” he noted.

Drawing on two decades of policymaking experience, he spoke about the distinctive nature of public policy as compared to corporate decision-making:
Unlike the corporate sector, public policy has infinite stakeholders, intended and unintended consequences, and is rarely a purely rational process. It is bounded by politics, crisis, opportunity, and context. That is why courses like PGPPM matter they bring structure, theory, and comparative perspectives into the practice of governance.

He urged participants to embrace evidence-based policymaking, while also acknowledging the role of bounded rationality and political opportunity. He illustrated this with examples ranging from India’s digital leap during COVID-19 to the evolution of PM-Kisan, the flagship farmer income-support scheme.

“Policies succeed when they are both technically sound and contextually sensitive. India’s diversity requires flexibility, humility, and continuous learning. The PGPPM equips you with that lens of seeing policy not as a one-size-fits-all formula, but as a living process that adapts to circumstances and people.”

Plenary Policy Talk: Of Clocks and Clouds

The inauguration concluded with a plenary talk on ‘Of Clocks and Clouds: Addressing Public Problems in the 21st Century’ by Dr. Tina Nabatchi, Joseph A. Strasser Endowed Professor in Public Administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University.

Tina drew upon the metaphor of “clocks and clouds” to reflect on the evolving nature of cloud computing, noting that while clocks represent precision and predictability, clouds symbolize complexity and constant change. She observed that much of the journey in the cloud has been about navigating this uncertainty, and emphasized the importance of adopting divergent, emergent, and participatory thinking to address its challenges.

Tina emphasized how policy makers should not address cloud problems and how to address the cloud challenges by building secure foundations, fostering adaptability, ensuring resilience, prioritizing cost efficiency, driving innovation, enhancing collaboration, maintaining compliance, leveraging automation, scaling seamlessly, and always keeping the customer at the center.

Welcome Address

The inauguration commenced with a symbolic plant-watering ceremony led by Prof. Arnab Mukherji, Chairperson, Master of Management Studies (Public Policy) – PGPPM, alongside Prof. Gopal Naik, Chairperson, Centre for Public Policy (CPP), and the students of the incoming batch.

Welcoming the new batch, Prof. Arnab Mukherji, Chairperson, Master of Management Studies (Public Policy) – PGPPM, Public Policy, highlighted the uniqueness of the programme. “The PGP-PPM is not just an academic experience, but an invitation to reimagine governance. Policy is not about abstract theories; it is about problem-driven narratives, designed in context and informed by practice. This programme compels participants to step outside routine roles and engage with themselves as much as with institutions,” he noted.

Prof. Gopal Naik, Chairperson, Centre for Public Policy (CPP), reflected on the policy context at IIMB, noting that the strength of the PGPPM programme lies in its balance between management training and immersion in public policy. By engaging with diverse contexts from Anganwadis to rural schools, from design studios to government departments participants gain first-hand exposure to field realities that reshape their perspectives. With over 600 alumni, nearly 80% of whom continue in government, the programme has already made a substantial contribution to India’s policy ecosystem.

Prof. Anil B Suraj, Chairperson, N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship (NSR Pre-doc), Public Policy area, underlined the importance of leveraging the institute’s extensive digital infrastructure for the benefit of PGPPM participants. “We have digitized our resources and made them accessible to participants who are in hybrid mode, ensuring that learning is not limited by physical presence. Nearly 95% of our seminars, conferences, and brown-bag sessions are hybrid, allowing students to join remotely. However, what truly enriches the experience is active participation on campus; being part of the vibrant ecosystem, beyond the classroom, is just as important as the coursework,” he said.

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