NEW DELHI: The first lateral entrants into the Government of India services have finally joined work as joint secretaries across different ministries, but only after a power-packed two-week training to attune them to the ways of the government.The Cabinet Secretariat had tasked the Indian Institute of Public Administration ( IIPA ) with preparing the induction programme held from September 23 to October 4. As part of the module, the ‘joint secretary-laterals' interacted with the brass of the Narendra Modi government including cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba , secretary to the PM, Bhaskar Kulbe, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant , 15th Finance Commission chairman N K Singh and several secretaries, officials said.Some stalwarts of the corporate world too had stopped by, from Nandan Nilekani to Vikram S Mehta and Adil Zainulabhai, who drew upon their own experiences in working with the government.The basic idea was to provide each new joint secretary with ‘a set of essential skills’ to help them work effectively within the government. Structured interactions and rulebook briefings apart, the laterals were taken on a field visit to Alwar to understand the on-ground working of a national flagship mission like Jal Shakti Abhiyan. DOPT secretary C Chandramouli held forth on the challenges a JS lateral would be facing — from winning over a team to managing pressures, keeping conflict of interest at bay and the challenge of ‘earning the respect and creating a space’, officials said.Rural development secretary Amarjeet Singh chaired a session on the ‘dos and don’ts’, detailing well thought-out proposals that could not be implemented or failed for some reason. Additional secretary in the personnel & training department Sujata Chaturvedi outlined ‘a day in the life of a joint secretary’, bringing in the rules of conduct, JS support staff and administrative process.PMO joint secretary Debarshee Mukherjee held forth on ‘what all can a joint secretary do?’ with case studies, the procedures to originate and implement a file and an idea, the resources and limitations of a JS, and how to work within these to get things done.Special sessions were held on the system of ‘drafting’ and ‘noting’ in the government, official, correspondence rules. A separate class was held on Cabinet note preparation, structuring them and building in of flexibilities and disclaimers.Former IAS officer B S Baswan, detailed the Weberian-Westminster model and tents of ‘sound public policy’ within pressures of 5 year time horizons, rent seeking, populism and international perspectives.IAS officer Ravindra Kumar held a session on the Central Civil Services conduct rules of 1964, the need to uphold the supremacy of the constitution, political neutrality and accountability.There were sessions on parliamentary procedures, the data accuracy and processes involved, the Right to Information, building in gender budgeting and the complex maze of government accounting.The newcomers were also introduced to the current dispensation’s big plans and strategies.Secretary DPIIT, Guruprasad Mohapatra spent an entire session explain the Centre’s $5 trillion economy plan, the US-China stand off, the 4th industrial revolution and need for skill development.Secretary Drinking water and Sanitation Parameshwaran Iyer talked of ‘bringing change at scale’ while Prakash Kumar, CEO of the Goods and Services Tax Network offered an insight into ‘disruptive transformations’.Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission N K Singh and Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal were brought in to explain India’s growth story while Director of the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library Shakti Sinha did a session of how thoughts of Gandhi and Sardar Patel impacted policy and governance in India.Arvind Gupta- former CEO of MyGoV.inunderlined the use of technology for governance while former SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya offered a perspective on women in public sector.Amitabh Kant and Bhaskar Kulbe opened the concluding week on management practices in government-- special sessions were held on how working for the government is different from Private sector and PSUs, the cultural shifts and common pitfalls involved.The private sector stepped in to round off the perspective.Deepak Bagla of Invest India held forth on ‘Managing hierarchy’ within the government, explaining how to engage with Ministers and Secretaries while Vikram S Mehta drew upon the differences in lives of civil servants and private sector professionals.Nandan Nilekani explained how the strengths of private sector can have large impact on governance while Chairman Quality Council of India Adil Zainulbhai emphasised on ‘relationship building in government’.