SIRD being the apex training institute in the state for rural development, programmes are designed taking into account the importance of participatory approach for rural development. The Institute has been imparting training for the benefit of government officials, elected representatives, members of Non-Government Organisations and rural youths. SIRD is ever in the process of sharpening its tools and training techniques to cope with the changing demands of its beneficiaries. Every effort is made in sensitising the rural development process through widening the participant's range of knowledge, thereby bringing about attitudinal changes.

The Institute has been enlarging its canvas of training activities every year and also has been successful in making them more need based and focused. A number of training programmes are undertaken in the identifies core areas by organizing banner programmes in identified thrust areas which cover multi-dimensional aspects of rural development and several sponsored programmes which came by due to the niche established by the Institute in the area of rural development training.

The institute has the mandate to help build the training capacities of its link institutions i.e. the Extension Training Centres (ETCs) and District Partner NGOs (DPNGOs). The training activities of the Institute were given very wide coverage through networking with ETCs and DPNGOs.

The launching of the large scale PRI-CB programmes under the Annual action Plan of National Capacity Building Framework (NCBF) which is meant to provide the PRI members with necessary information, knowledge base and the operational skills on local self-governance and rural development has generated renewed enthusiasm among the PRI members for ensuring good governance in the state.