The Capacity Building for Poverty Reduction (CBPR) Programme, launched by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance and Pensions (DAR&PG) in 2005, aims at building the capacity of the Indian civil service for improved public service delivery for the purposes of poverty reduction. The Governance Knowledge Centre (GKC), undertaken by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG) has been envisaged as a key initiative under CBPR to serve as a digital single point of reference on good governance practices that would aid in building capacity at the district, state and centre.

In 2010, OneWorld Foundation India (OWFI) took up the task of upgrading and transforming the Governance Knowledge Centre into a trusted knowledge repository with a vibrant and dynamic platform for the sharing of cutting-edge ideas, information, and resources in the field of governance.

Today, the portal assists civil servants to seek practical and implementable solutions to the day-to-day challenges they face. It serves as a platform for collaborative knowledge exchange for the improvement of governance. It also offers a widespread and reputed lot of governance knowledge that civil society can utilize to understand the nuances of civil service practices and reforms.