New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS): Increasing participation of women in policy-making will promote empathetic and sensitive governance, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Monday, while calling upon the country's public administration to shed the colonial mindset and align with the aspirations of modern India.

Addressing the gathering at the 70th Annual Meeting of the General Body of the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Dhankhar hailed the passing of the Women's Reservation Bill and said: "This decision not only acknowledges the leadership potential of women, but also fulfills an aspect of social Justice. I strongly believe increasing participation of women in policy-making will promote empathetic and sensitive governance."

While emphasising the need to enhance civil servants' problem-solving abilities and reinforce ethical leadership, the Vice-President said that "Bharat is quickly jettisoning the colonial mindset, and we are now defying the earlier deified colonial ideas and symbols".

"Indian public administration should have Indian characteristics distanced from the colonial mindset aligning with our aspirations post-independence. Look at the overall trajectory, more so in the last decade," he said.

"We are now defying the earlier deified colonial ideas and symbols. Kingsway is now Kartavya Path and Race Course Road is Lok Kalyan Marg. Netaji (Subash Chandra Bose) now stands in the canopy where there was once King George's statue. The ensign of Indian Navy was changed to include our tricolor and 1,500 colonial-era statutes are not on the law book anymore," he said.

"The new criminal laws -- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam -- have unshackled the Indian Criminal Justice system from the colonial legacy. It is a monumental and revolutionary change that the ‘Dand’ Sanhita has now become the ‘Nyaya’ Sanhita, effecting improvements to protect the victim's interests, carry out prosecution efficiently, among many other aspects. Bharat is quickly jettisoning the colonial mindset. Now you do not need English to learn medicine or technology," he added.

Highlighting the importance of emotional intelligence and soft skills among public officials, Vice President Dhankhar said: "Focus more on the emotional intelligence of trainees. Developing soft skills, emotional intelligence, and cultural competence among public officials is crucial so that officials can understand the struggles of the marginalised and the underprivileged; design and implement policies that truly address those challenges.”

Emphasising the importance of technology adoption in public administration, he said, “Our training programmes and research initiatives should focus on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and data analytics.”

Drawing attention to the concern of digital marginalisation and the need for an inclusive approach, the Vice President said: "While embracing technology, we must also ensure that it does not create further divisions. Rapidly advancing technology can exclude the most vulnerable sections of society. Therefore, our approach should be inclusive."