New Delhi, August 4, 2026: The Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) in support of Public Relations Society , New Delhi (PRSD) held the PRCI Transformative Governance Symposium, a high-level forum featuring Supreme Court legal professionals, Journalists, senior bureaucrats, industry leaders, and
media veterans discussing innovative governance models and pathways for nation-building on August 3 rd , India Habitat Center, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.
The conclave was inaugurated by Hon’ble Shri. Justice P.B. Bhajanthri, Chief Guest Shri Basava Prabhu S. Patil, Advocate General of Sikkim, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, along with Guest of Honors Shri. S. Venkat Narayan, Former Editor, India Today, President, Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Shri. B.V. Vittal, Executive Director (HR), National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL), Shri. S. Narendra, Former Principal Information Officer to GOI & Information Advisor to PM, Rtn. AKS. Dr. Sreenivasan, Director, Governing Council, PRCI, Ms. Geetha Shankar, National President, PRCI, Shri. Dr. T. Vinay Kumar, Chairman, overning Council, PRCI , Shri G.S. Bawa , Chairman , Public Relations Society , New Delhi and Shri. M.B. Jayaram, Chief Mentor, Chairman Emeritus, PRCI.
The Inaugurator addressed the gathering about the harmony that there needs to between law and justice & judiciary should make sure governance and administration matter to be transparent and crystal clear to avoid litigation. The Chief Guest addressed on the governance, law, and digitization and the need to have synchronisation.
The key note address by Shri. S. Venkat Narayan, beautifully explained his journey in the PR sector and governance. We also had special invitees speak on various topics ranging from Transformative Governance through Legal Reforms, Governance for Responsible Innovation, Governance as a driver of Service Excellence etc.
Alongside PRCI, for the first time, PRCI announced the PRCI NextGen Governance Awards as a dedicated national platform to recognize transformative public administration and governance excellence.
The “N” and the “G” in NextGen signify governance that is forward-looking, reform-oriented, and built for the India of tomorrow. The awards celebrate administrators and institutions that champion transparency, digital innovation, accountability, and measurable public impact.
The premier institutional honour — the PRCI Next Gen Award for Excellence in Citizen- Centric Urban Governance — has been awarded to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Karnataka, under the leadership of Shri N. A. Haris, Chairman, BDA. The award is unique as BDA has engineered and implemented one of the most innovative and structurally unique Public Grievance Redressal Systems (PGRS) in Indian urban governance. Launched in August 2025, the BDA PGRS represents a ground-up institutional redesign built on four foundational pillars: Transparency, Technology, Good Governance, and Citizen Orientation.
Five distinguished public servants were given the PRCI NextGen Governance Awards:
- Shri N. A. Haris, Chairman, Bangalore Development Authority, Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Shantinagar – PRCI NextGen Award 2026 for Visionary Leadership
- ajor Manivannan P, IAS, Commissioner of the BDA- PRCI NextGen Award 2026 for Transformational Public Service
- Shri Syedain Abbasi, IAS (1990), Special Chief Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) & Water Resources, Government of Assam — PRCI Next Gen Award for Sustainable Water Leadership
- Shri Rajiv Kumar Singh, Director (Academic), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Ministry of Education — PRCI Next Gen Award for Inclusive Education Leadership
- Shri Arun Dev Gautam, IPS (1992), Director General of Police (DGP), Chhattisgarh — PRCI Next Gen Award for Excellence in Ethical Governance
The Public Relations Council of India (PRCI), established on April 3, 2004, is a national professional body dedicated to advancing excellence in public relations, communications, and stakeholder engagement. PRCI, with 60 chapters pan-India, brings together communication professionals, policymakers, academics, and industry leaders to promote transparency, public participation, ethical communication, and effective governance through strategic communication initiatives across India.
