Convener News Desk
New Delhi, August 11: The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Academy of Social Security (PDUNASS) of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), in partnership with the National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad, has launched a first-of-its-kind training .
In a statement issued by EPFO to Kashmir Convener, an official spokesperson said the day-long programme, Introduction to Design Thinking, aims to bring a future-focused and people-centered approach to governance. It is the first-time design concepts are being included in a government training curriculum.
He said the event began at 10:00 AM at Manthan Hall, PDUNASS, with a ceremonial Deep Prajwalan.
It was attended by Ramesh Krishnamurthy, CEO & CPFC, EPFO, Dr. Ashok Mondal, Director, NID, and Kumar Rohit, Director, PDUNASS. The CPFC and Director NID joined virtually, while 65 participants were present in person and about 100 joined online.
In his welcome address, Kumar Rohit stressed that EPFO’s key stakeholders—pensioners, wage workers, and small businesses—need services designed with their specific needs in mind. “This collaboration with NID reflects our vision to train officers not just to manage processes, but to lead reforms that improve citizens’ experiences,” he said.
CPFC Shri Ramesh Krishnamurthy spoke about the challenge faced by EPFO in balancing empathy for stakeholders with its duty to strictly enforce the law. He hoped Design Thinking would help resolve such challenges. “Public institutions face complex problems, but our solutions must be simple, empathetic, and impactful,” he added.
Krishnamurthy set the tone for further session and discussion by highlighting dichotomy being faced by organisation wherein on one hand organisation requires to be facilitative and empathy centric towards its stakeholders, on the other hand its regulatory work of ensuring compliance of the Act requires it to be strict in implementation.
He further said that “Design Thinking” appears abstract outwardly and success of this initiative will depend upon practical outcomes it brings in decision making approaches “Public institutions face complex challenges, but our solutions must remain simple, empathetic, and impactful.
NID Director Dr. Ashok Mondal praised EPFO’s effort to bring design-led innovation into governance training and expressed hope for more such partnerships in the future.
The training was conducted by NID faculty Prof. Jitendra Rajput and Prof. Amit Sinha. Topics included empathy-led service design, redefining problems, and social innovation in governance. Through group discussions and case studies, participants learned creative ways to improve public service delivery.
The programme ended with participants gaining new ideas and practical approaches to their work. It marks an important step in EPFO’s training plans and reinforces its commitment to innovation and citizen-focused governance. Officials said this initiative marks a significant step in PDUNASS’s training calendar, reinforcing EPFO’s commitment to continuous innovation and citizen-focused governance.
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