Day 3 Schedule (November 6, 2026)

Chair: Sumnima Udas [Member of Parliament] (TBC)

Facilitator: Tara Prasad Kharel [Nepal Administrative Staff College]

Panelist

Sanjeeb Baral [Centre of Hydrology and Water Resources Research]

Fara Azmat [Deakin University]

Mokbul Morshed Ahmad [Asian Institute of Technology]

Aly Shameem [Maldives National University]

Aisha Rizwan [University of the Punjab]

Vishal Narain [Management Development Institute]

Panel 4

Araniko Hall 

Public Perception, Governance and Public Administration: Turning Evidence into Trust, Inclusion, Responsiveness and State Capacity

Chair: Meghan Nalbo [The Asia Foundation]  

Institutional perspective: Federal institutions, implementation constraints, coordination and responsiveness

Dilla Ram Panthi [PLGSP]

Citizen perspective: Citizen experience, expectations, trust and perceptions of government

Dhiraj Giri [Kathmandu University]

Inclusion and state capacity: Beliefs about stability and inclusion; institutional effort and inclusive state capacity

Chandra Bhandari [GovLab]

Power and decision-making: Elite perceptions, decision-making incentives and citizen–elite gaps

Sudeshna Thapa [Social Science Baha; The Asia Foundation]

Lab Lead: Akhlaque Haque [University of Birmingham at Alabama]

Facilitator: Pritha Paudyal, Lila Nath Sapkota & Manisha Maharjan [NASC]

Case Presenters: Rajendra Adhikari & Geetanjali Upadhyay [NASC] 

Ethical Governance in Pakistan: Assessing Integrity and Accountability Through World Governance Indicators (1996-2024)

Ayesha Hanif [University of the Punjab] 

Rebuilding Citizen Trust in Public Institutions: A Case Study of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)

Gunjan [Siddharth University Kapilvastu]

 Impact Assessment of the Right to Public Services Commission, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Lessons for Reimagining Public Service Delivery in South Asia

Saif Ullah Khalid [National School of Public Policy] 

 E-Service Quality, Trust, and Citizen Satisfaction in South Asian Public Administration: Evidence from NADRA in Pakistan

Fatima Khalid [University of the Punjab]

Aisha Rizwan [University of the Punjab] 

 Assessing the Impact of Salary Grant Cuts and Fiscal Empowerment on Service Delivery in Local Government Institutions in Sri Lanka

Wasala Mudalige Priyantha [Sri Lanka Institute of Sri Lanka Local Governance]

N Wasantha Ariyarathne [Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils & Local Government, SriLanka 

Gender and Leadership in Nepal's Local Governments: Why Are Women Underrepresented as Chief Administrative Officers?

Shailaja Upadhyaya [Nepal Administrative Staff College]

Women-Centric Nutrition Policies in South Asia: A Comparative Assessment of India's POSHAN Abhiyaan and Nepal's Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan

Vijay Prakash [Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University]

Pradeep Kumar Singh [Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University]  

Bureaucratic Discretion in Indigenous Communities' Rights Recognition: A 13 Year Case Study of Implementing India's Forest Rights Act

Santosh Gedam [IIM Sirmaur

Total Quality Humane Governance (TQHG): A New Model for Citizen-Centered Public Administration

Amir Mohammad Nasrullah [University of Chittagong]

Muhammad Wahidur Rahman [Bandarban University]

Md. Sahadat Hosain [Bandarban University]  

Continuity and Change in Participatory Urban Governance: Revisiting Community-Driven Development (CDD) in Bangladesh, 2010-2025

Parvaz Azharul Huq [University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh]

Social Security Benefits and Livelihood Strategies of Dalit Households in Koshi Rural Municipality, Nepal: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

Pratik Poudel [Asian Institute of Technology]

Mokbul Morshed Ahmad [Asian Institute of Technology  

Informal Governance Systems in Urban Slums: The Case of Korail Slum

Lamia Mohsin [United Nations Development Programme]

Reimagining Public Administration in Pakistan: An Integrated Theoretical Framework of Innovation, Adaptive Governance, and Administrative Resilience

Abdul Quyyam [University of the Punjab]

Amani Moazzam [University of the Punjab]  

Rebuilding the State Around Citizens: Ethical and Inclusive Public Sector Modernization in Bangladesh

Jannatul Ferdous [Comilla University]

Climate-Responsive Fiscal Federalism: An Institutional Assessment of Nepal's Climate Finance Governance Framework  

Narayan Kumar BC [Rural Enterprise and Economic Development (REED) Project, GoN/World Bank]   

From Digital Co-Production to Institutional Decline: The Changing Role of Union Digital Centres in Bangladesh

Md. Shafayat Jamil [Shahjalal University of Science and Technology]

Zayeda Sharmin [Shahjalal University of Science and Technology]

Most. Mim Khatun [Shahjalal University of Science and Technology]

Md. Noor Hasnat Emon [Shahjalal University of Science and Technology] 

Gender-Responsive Climate Change Adaptation Services and Women's Agency in Agrarian Households: A Case Study of Northern Bangladesh

Ma Ariz-Un-Elma [Asian Institute of Technology]

Mokbul Morshed Ahmad [Asian Institute of Technology]   

Governing Climate Adaptation Finance: Accountability, Allocation, and Oversight Across Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka

Wenjian Chen [University of Macau]

Plans and Policies Related to Climate Change in Bangladesh: Emerging Challenges

Mahfuzul Haque [Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management]    

Climate Finance Governance for Climate Adaptation: Strengthening State Capacity and Public Institutions in South Asia

Karri Manikanteswara Reddy [Adikavi Nannaya University, India] 

Poverty Alleviation: A Re-Examination of Government Interventions and Socioeconomic Realities in Sri Lanka

Upali Weerakoon [University of Peradeniya] 

The Role of Media Campaigns in Changing Perception & Engagement of Menstrual Hygiene Management Among Students in Bangladesh

Ramis Tarannum [Shahjalal University of Science & Technology]

Bureaucratic Compliance or Technocratic Rigor? Determinants of Gender-Responsive Budget Prioritization in the Local Governments of Nepal

Anil Kumar Gupta [Nepal Administrative Staff College]     

 Localising the Sustainable Development Goals Through Gram Panchayats in Tamil Nadu: An Empirical Assessment of Institutional Capacity and Rural Development Outcomes

Prema Devarasu [Saveetha School of Law, India]

Asha Sundaram [Saveetha School of Law, India

Opinion of Citizen-Centric Public Service Delivery of Ward Offices in Kathmandu Valley

Rashesh Vaidya [Nepal Open University]

Sanita Mastran [Tribhuvan University]

Prakash Kaji Tamrakar [Tribhuvan University]

Dipendra Kumar Chaudhary [Nepal Open University 

Citizen Trust, Digital Governance and State Capacity: An Empirical Study of E-Sevai Service Delivery in Tamil Nadu, India

N. Muthukumar [Loganatha Narayanasamy Government Arts College]

K. Elango [Loganatha Narayanasamy Government Arts College] 

AI Adaptation in Bangladesh Public Administration: Challenges and Prospects

Zayeda Sharmin [Shahjalal University of Science and Technology]

Ashfaque Ahmad Shovon [Leading University]     

Citizen-Centric E-Government for Improving Public Service Delivery in Nepal

Shyam Krishna Adhikari [Tribhuvan University] 

From Policy-Induced Inequalities to Citizen-Centric Governance: Rethinking Public Service Delivery in South Asia Through the Indian Experience

Shashi Kant Pandey [Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University]

Alok Kumar Gaurav [Central University of Karnataka]

Aisha Zaheer  

Exploring the Dynamics of Social Safety Net Distribution: A Case Study on Khulna, Bangladesh

Md. Abrar Hasan [BRAC Institute of Governance and Development]

Rabeena Sultana Ananna [BRAC Institute of Governance and Development] 

From Colonial Bureaucracy to Citizen-Centric Governance: Reimagining Ethical State Capacity in South Asia

Janak Singh Meena [Central University of Gujarat]

Meenakshi [Central University of Gujarat]    

Public Value Creation through Digital Procurement Governance: A Decadal Assessment of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

Anshuman Ankit [Magadh University]  

Shaping the Future of Governance in Nepal: Public Administration Reform Through Inclusion, Accountability, and Digital Innovation

Meen Bahadur Poudyal Chhetri [Public Administration Association of Nepal]   

Behavioural Framework for Policy Implementation in Bangladesh: A Macro-Meso-Micro Analysis

Mohammad Rezaul Karim [North South University]

Rizwan Khair [North South University] 

Beyond Nudging: Towards Neuro-Behavioural Public Administration for Inclusive and Adaptive Governance in South Asia

Alok Kumar Gaurav [Central University of Karnataka]

Vaishali Saxena [University of Lucknow]

Astha Arora [Central University of Karnataka]

Shashikant Pandey [Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University]   

 Reimagining Public Education Governance Through Human-Centered AI: A Framework for Ethical, Inclusive, and Capacity-Driven Education Systems in South Asia

Huma Salman [University of Karachi]

Atika Imran [Sindh Madrasatul Islam University] 

Digital Government, Artificial Intelligence, and Sustainable Development: Evidence for Strengthening Public Administration in OECD Countries

Ayub Ali [Center for Strategic and Peace Studies, Bangladesh]    

Everyday Administration: Political Complexities, Patronage and Relationality in Nepali Bureaucracy

Tulasi Sharan Sigdel [Nepal Administrative Staff College] 

Student Participation, Institutional Governance, and Social Responsibility in Higher Education: A Social Work Perspective on Administrative Challenges and Innovation in South Asia

Srinivasa D [Central University of Karnataka]

Kiran M [Central University of Karnataka]

Pramita Nayak [Central University of Karnataka] 

Digital Transformation or Resource Drain? Technostress, Work-Life Balance, and Governance Gaps in South Asian Public Hospitals

Sobia Jamil [Institute of Business Management]

Mustafa Hyder [University of Karachi]  

Climate Adaptation in a Multi-Level Governance Context: Policy Localisation, Public Trust, and Indigenous Knowledge in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh

Fahim Shahriar [University of Chittagong]  

Inclusive Governance and Climate Justice: Reframing Child Marriage as Non-Economic Loss and Damage in Northern Bangladesh

Abu Muhammad Jarrah [Asian Institute of Technology]

Mokbul Morshed Ahmad [Asian Institute of Technology] 

Localising the Sustainable Development Goals: Assessing the Status of SDGs in Kerala, India

Mohammed Safvan K [University of Hyderabad] 

Men's Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh

Anisur Rahman Khan [East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh]  

13:30-15:30

Synthesis Session 
Reimagining Public Administration in South Asia: Key Messages and Policy Directions 
 

Vrihaspati Hall

Chair: NASC Executive Director

Shisir Khanal [Minister for Foreign Affairs]

Trilochan Pokharel [Nepal Administration Staff College]

Akhlaque Haque [South Asian Network for Public Administration]

Madhu Raman Acharya [Public Administration Association Nepal]

Yaamina Salman [University of Punjab]

Prabhat Datta [Xavier Law School, India]

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman [University of Antwerp]