The public health challenges being faced by the country call for the development of capacity n the health systems of the Central and State Governments by way of positioning qualified professionals who can execute and monitor national health policies and programmes, supervise the public health workforce, fully assess the dimensions of public health issues and devise appropriate strategies to meet emerging challenges. There is a need to devise programmes which will impart the skills required to tackle the existing and emerging public health challenges and enhance the capacity of the public health managerial workforce.