In public life one should never say yes when apparent answer from the conscience is no, said Anindo Majumdar, former IAS and Member (Administrative), CAT Kolkata

Core philosophy behind AI is continuous innovation, inclusivity, responsible deployment and governing with trust, said BRO Secretary, Dr Rajendra Kumar

Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, under Ministry of Corporate Affairs hosted two senior bureaucrats resource persons, who delivered lectures under the aegis of “Weekend Wisdom Programme” recently. Welcoming the first guest, Sh. Anindo Majumdar an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of the 1985 batch and have nearly four decades of rich and varied experience in different areas of public administration, Sh. Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, DG &CEO, IICA mentioned that as Secretary Chief Vigilance Commission and in current posting as Member (Administrative) of the Central Administrative Tribunal, Kolkata his contribution towards fostering ethical behavior in public life is greatly admired. He further added efficacy of soft power in hostile terrain of Afghanistan as Development Advisor in the National Institution Building Project, paved the way for people’s involvement in the development process.

In his interaction with PGIP/LLM students, on the subject ‘Ethics and Corporate Governance’, Sh. Anindo Majumdar highlighted finer distinction between law and ethics. Drawing example from apartheid regime in South Africa, he elaborated that the regime had the backing of law, yet it was blatantly unethical.

With decades of experience at the very heart of India's vigilance and administrative machinery, Shri Majumdar brought to the students not just theory but wisdom of his experience backed by real stories of integrity, accountability, and encouraged students to uphold ethics in public life by simple message that “one should never say yes when apparent answer from the conscience is no’.

He enriched the discussion by dwelling diverse philosophies that explain ethics in a governance system, have conversations on whistle-blowers, and "regulatory capture", and the need for and importance of ethical leadership in corporate structures.

Second power talk of the day was delivered by Dr Rajajendra Kumar, IAS, Secretary Border Road Organization, Ministry of Home Affairs on the topics, “Corporate Governance, Cyber Security, Personal Data Protection and Artificial Intelligence” and “Smart Border Management”.  Welcoming the guest of honour, Sh. Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh DG &CEO, IICA mentioned that Dr. Kumar conceptualized and implemented the Mobile Seva project, which won the UN Public Service Award in 2014. This project enabled government services to be delivered via mobile devices, significantly expanding digital access for citizens. His work has had a lasting impact on making government services more accessible, secure, and efficient for millions of Indians.

Delving with Core philosophy behind Artificial Intelligence, BRO’s Dr Rajendra Kumar highlighted that underlying message is continuous innovation, inclusivity, responsible deployment and govern with trust.  Pillar I of AI policy focuses on Promotion AI-led research in continuum, entrepreneurship, productivity and institutional transformation through collaboration among government, academia and industry. Pillar II is important to bridge the void between haves and have not. Inclusive development is the key. Pillar III addresses responsibility, with a view to ensure AI is ethical, safe, transparent, fair and human-centric, with safeguards for privacy, bias, security and accountability and pillar IV aims at addressing governance issues with development of proportionate and adaptive regulatory framework with clear accountability, standards, monitoring, auditability and grievance redressal.

He added that the New Corporate Trust Equation rests on four interconnected pillars: Good Governance creates accountability, Cybersecurity builds resilience, Personal Data Protection strengthens trust, and Responsible AI enables sustainable innovation. Together, these pillars provide the foundation for a modern corporate ecosystem in which organisations are not only efficient and innovative, but also transparent, secure, ethical and accountable; thereby creating enduring trust among stakeholders and supporting sustainable long-term value creation.

In his talk on Smart Border management, Dr Rajendra Kumar added that technology should also strengthen border infrastructure delivery and quality control. Extensive use of GIS mapping, Drone inspection, and digital dashboards add administrative value by way of facilitating quicker review, sharper accountability and better utilization of funds and manpower.