The eighth batch of the Bharti Institute of Public Policy’s flagship programme— the Advanced Management Programme in Public Policy (AMPPP), was inaugurated by Shri KT Rama Rao, Hon’ble Minister for IT & Industries, Government of Telangana, at the Mohali campus of the Indian School of Business. The hon’ble minister was accompanied by Shri G Ranjith Reddy, Hon'ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha).
Vol 3, Issue 2, 2023
Welcome to yet another issue of Communique! We at Bharti Institute of Public Policy had a productive third quarter in 2023. We are excited to present the key achievements from this period, as well as the most recent updates on our educational and training programmes, ongoing research endeavours, and fresh partnerships.
HIGHLIGHTS
Inauguration of the Co’2024 Advanced Management Programme in Public Policy
Knowledge Partnership with the Government of Goa
Bharti Institute of Public Policy signed an MoU with the state government of Goa to commence a knowledge partnership focusing on evidence-based Policy formulation and impact in the state. Bharti Institute will facilitate furthering the state government’s objectives to improve the social and economic prosperity indicators through public policy interventions, capacity-building workshops, and citizen-centric governance-based initiatives as part of this agreement.
Launch of Book Series on Public Policy
Bharti Institute of Public Policy launched a book series, titled “ Innovations, Practice and Future of Public Policy in India” , in partnership with Routledge Publishers. The first book in this series, “ The Last Mile: Turning Public Policy Upside Down”, by Amarjeet Singh, was launched at the India International Centre, New Delhi. The book series aims to bring together diverse perspectives of academics and practitioners in the field of public policy in the country and records innovative ideas and best practices to facilitate knowledge sharing. Eminent speakers shared their insights and spoke about the importance of creating the last mile connect under the vast expanse of human development with focus on specific themes.
EDUCATION
Advanced Management Programme in Public Policy (AMPPP)
The first residency of the Cohort 2023-24, Batch 8, was held from 11th August- 21st August 2023 at ISB’s Mohali Campus.
The residency included four guest expert sessions:
- Amarjeet Sinha, former adviser to the Prime Minister, on his book, “The Last Mile: Turning Public Policy Upside Down”.
- Dr Pushpinder Puniha, Financial Advisor to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on ‘Collaborative Governance and its Role in Policy Formulation.’
- Dr Shailendra Joshi, former Chief Secretary and former Advisor to the Government of Telangana on the book ‘Reflections on India’s Public Policy’
- Dr Mukesh Jain, Special DGP (Training), Police Headquarters, Bhopal on the ‘Science of Happiness’.
A Gala Dinner was also organised by the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, to welcome the participants of the new batch. The dinner provided an excellent opportunity for the AMPPP Co’ 2023-2024 to get to know each other and engage in interesting conversations at the onset of the programme.
Launch of Courses on iGOT under the Mission Karmayogi Initiative
Bharti Institute of Public Policy, in collaboration with the Capacity Building Commission, launched two online course modules on the iGoT platform. Two courses by Prof. Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, namely, Insights from Data for Policy and Evidence in Public Policy, are now live on the iGOT platform. Two more courses: one each on Climate Change and Motivational Leadership for School Education are in the final stages of discussion and will be hosted on the iGOT platform soon.
UPDATES ON STATE ENGAGEMENTS
Government of Himachal Pradesh
Collaborating with the Department of Digital Technologies and Governance, Government of Himachal Pradesh, a team of Bharti Institute of Public Policy, comprising Dr Aarushi Jain, Policy Director, Siddharth Sekhar Singh, Research Associate, Amrita Chakraborty, Project Lead, and Aastha Kaura, Research Assistant, presented a report and findings on improving e-governance services in a meeting chaired by Prabodh Saxena, IAS, Chief Secretary, Himachal Pradesh. The meeting was attended by all principal secretaries and other key officials of the government in Shimla. Bharti Institute’s team analysed all components of e-governance services on various parameters for better public service delivery across the state. Later, the team also met the officials from the Department of Information Technology, HP State Electronics Development Corporation Limited, Labour Commission, besides officials from the Home Department to discuss ways to improve e-governance services and the usage of emerging technologies for effective governance.
A Data Protection and Privacy Policy Draft was submitted to the Government of Himachal Pradesh for HimParivar. HimParivar is a framework and interface conceptualised by the Government of Himachal Pradesh to improve government-to-beneficiary interactions and identifies as a single resident identification metric.
A team led by Prof. Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy along with Dr Aarushi Jain, Policy Director and Amit Upmanyu, State Coordinator, held a meeting with the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Shri. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and other key functionaries of the government including Mr Ravi Thakur, MLA (Lahaul & Spiti). The meeting was held to finalise new interventions under the existing knowledge partnership between the state government and ISB-BIPP. Consequently, new pilots have been planned in Hamirpur district for pine needles and in Lahaul and Spiti for sea buckthorn under the Initiative on Forest Economy (IoFE) project of the Institute.
Government of Meghalaya
To support the Meghalaya state data repository, Bharti Institute is in the process of creating the Meghalaya Data Portal to make state-level information easily accessible for policy interventions by the legislators. As a part of this collaboration, a team of Bharti Institute of Public Policy led by Dr Aarushi Jain, Policy Director, Prof Anjal Prakash, Research Director, and Dr Sharique Hassan Manazir, Senior Manager (Trainings) held a series of meetings with the officials of government of Meghalaya in Shillong including Shri Thomas A Sangma, Hon'ble Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly; Donald Phillips Wahlang, IAS, Chief Secretary to the Govt. of Meghalaya and State Vigilance Commissioner and Cyril Darlong Diengdoh, IAS, Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, Personnel, Home and CMO. During the meetings, the team apprised the officials of the plans for the second year of the Meghalaya Legislative Research Fellowship (MLRF) and the upcoming third legislators training programme. Dr. Andrew Simons, IAS, Commissioner and Secretary of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, and Aiban Swer, Director, Meghalaya Institute of Governance and Project Lead of the Meghalaya Legislative Research Fellowship, Government of Meghalaya were also a part of the discussions.
The team of Bharti Institute in collaboration with the Meghalaya Institute of Governance (MIG) and the Government of Meghalaya also conducted a two-day workshop with the fellows of the Meghalaya Legislative Research Fellowship at the MIG office, Shillong.
The Bharti Institute of Public Policy is set to host the third legislators policy workshop for the honourable members of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. This comprehensive policy workshop will take place from 16th November-18th November 2023, at the ISB Hyderabad Campus.
Government of Odisha
- As part of the existing collaboration between Bharti Institute and the government of Odisha, a key meeting was held between a team of Bharti Institute and the officials of the Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA), building upon a proposal submitted to the OSDA Secretary. The meeting focussed on the need for technology and soft skill training to fortify Producer Companies, with an emphasis on areas such as mechanisation, digital marketing, technology readiness, business sustainability, and entrepreneurship. A comprehensive proposal featuring identified pilot locations is now in the works to kickstart collaborative efforts in these critical domains.
- A one-day training programme was conducted on "Mapping in Chintalwada Gram Panchayat, Malkangiri wherein 15 volunteers from five revenue villages participated.
- An inter-learning exposure visit was organised for Gram Sabha leaders focusing on community forest resource management. This insightful visit took place in the village of Tarkabahali, located in the M. Rampur block of the Kalahandi district in Odisha. The event witnessed active participation from members of various Gram Sabhas, including eight from the Rampur Gram Sabha Federation, representatives from Kashipur in Rayagada, eight from Bhawanipatna Gram Sabha Federation, and eight from the Kalimela Gram Sabha Federation.
- Abhijit Mohapatra, PMU lead, and Abhijeet Parmar, Lead-Technology and Research Partnership held a meeting with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Odisha. During the meeting, various issues key issues were discussed and the PCCF gave assurance that the DFOs in the pilot areas of the IoFE project will facilitate data collection by the Bharti’s team.
Government of Jharkhand
A team of Bharti Institute was invited by the District Commissioner’s office to speak on Forest Rights Act in Simdega district, wherein all Circle Officers (COs) from the district were also present. The team apprised them of the provisions of FRA and how Bharti Institute led team IoFE is piloting it in the three blocks of Simdega with a systematic, standardised and technical approach.
A meeting was held with the Foundation for Ecological Security and Partnering Hope into Action Foundation (PHIA) team at the PHIA office in Ranchi. The objective was to advance the ensuing collaboration for the Forest Rights Act campaign.
UPDATES ON EXISTING PROJECTS
India Data Portal
The advanced version of India Data Portal 2.0 witnessed a soft launch recently for beta testing within the ISB community. India Data Portal 2.0 is built upon technologically revamped and upgraded, scalable, and easily maintainable architecture with support of micro-services. It provides easy accessibility and quick usage of datasets for users to explore and visualise. The IDP 2.0 also allows users to upload their own dataset for exploration and visualisation. With one of its kind and pioneering Visualisations First Approach, the new improvised version enables users to pre-select graphs from a vast selection of more than 3400 indicators. These indicators are drawn from a rich array of repository of over 120 datasets spanning across Climate and Weather, Commerce, Crime, Economy, Education, Energy, Finance, Financial Inclusion, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Food and Agriculture, Forestry and Wildlife, General, Government Schemes, Health, Housing, Infrastructure, Nutrition, Rural Development, Science and Technology, Social Welfare, Socio Economic Surveys, Transportation and Union Budget sectors.
India Data Portal Collaborations and Outreach
- Bharti Institute has signed an MoU for a knowledge partnership for the expansion of the HIM Data Portal, support on Him Parivar and subsequently Himachal Pulse. Currently, the HIM Data portal hosts 70 datasets from various ministries of the government of India and more datasets are being added. The research team at the Bharti Institute is contributing blogs for the data portals regularly.
- Exploring potential collaboration with the Government of Punjab for the development of Punjab State Data Portal on the lines of HIM Data Portal. Consequently, a team of Bharti Institute of Public Policy led by Dr Aarushi Jain, Policy Director, shared a presentation with Shri Aman Arora, Minister for Governance Reforms and Public Grievances, Punjab and held discussions on effective governance and improving public service delivery in the state.
Financial Inclusion
- In a new collaboration, Bharti Institute of Public Policy signed an MoU with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to promote agriculture and rural development. The collaborative approach aims to enhance rural prosperity by mutually sharing open-source data for the purpose of framing policies, innovations in product development for the benefit of farmers in rural areas, and transfer of technology.
- A consultative meeting on ‘Access & Usage of Open Data’ with the South Asia Head and senior officials of Women’s World Banking was held.
- An orientation programme on ‘Open Data for Inclusive Growth’ for the senior officials of JEEViKA, was organised by the FI vertical.
- A consultative meeting on ‘Open Data for Inclusive Development’ was held with the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director & Head of Strategy, Dvara Research. The team of FI also made a presentation and gave an e-tour of the India Data Portal.
Initiative on Forest Economy
- The team of Initiative on Forest Economy (IoFE) is engaging with LotusDew, a firm based in Hyderabad to generate e-PAN for shareholders and directors of PC to be formed in Kalimela. The instant e-PAN generation system is biometric based and requires UID number to generate the PAN Card. IoFE has purchased the required biometric device model, and it can be used to generate the PAN card instantly for anyone having UID number. LotusDew team has also trained a resource person in Malkangiri from team IoFE for this purpose.
- With support from Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, the team of IoFE presented the idea of Jungle Rani Initiative and template-based community-sourced films in the annual meet of Producers Guild of India. The meet invites idea entries from independent film makers, film institutions and community organisations. The meet was attended by representatives from FTII, Film Festival Directorate, AmDocs, Jerome Foundation, NSD, Independent Lens etc.
- Bharti Institute of Public Policy signed an MoU with the Shristi Manipal Institute of Art, Design, and Technology for effective implementation of Bharti Institute’s large scale landscape level initiative. The knowledge partnership will further focus on building a scalable and sustainable forest economy and livelihood anchored around Community Forest Resource Right (CFR) and women-led enterprises.
- A detailed meeting was held between team IoFE and Prof. (Dr) Ramesh Chandra Gaur, Director, National School of Drama (NSD) to explore the existing collaboration beyond the upcoming International Learning Exchange 2023. Prof. Gaur acknowledged the role of community - forest relationship in shaping the forests of tomorrow. Being a UNESCO co-chair on indigenous languages, he was keen on exploring the creative landscape in context of forest relation. It was decided that ISB and NSD will work together on a systematic programme to impart theatre training and play writing to Jungle Rani group. A 40-day long workshop will be designed and selected participants from JRani group will be invited to NSD campus for a month to receive the training from NSD faculty.
- Prof. Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, and Apurva N S Duddu, Project Specialist & Doctoral Fellow, Yale University, attended a meeting with the Special Chief Secretary, Neerabh Prasad. They discussed the potential of bamboo economy in Andhra Pradesh. The PCCF (HoFF), PCCF (Production) and MD APFDC were also present in this meeting.
Enabling Agriculture and Nutrition Convergence through Technical Support (ENACTS)
- The ISB-BIPP's Odisha Project Management Unit (PMU) team has been engaging with several senior government officials and their teams from different departments to take inputs, data points and insights. The idea is to share knowledge about the diverse aspects of the mission, analysing the journey and its outcomes at different stages of the value chain, such as production, distribution, processing, and consumption that have contributed to the success of the Odisha Millets Mission (OMM).
- The ENACTS team in Odisha is in the process of developing a comprehensive report on the Odisha Millets Mission (OMM). This report is scheduled for a release by the Government of Odisha during the Mandia Divas.
- A Roundtable Conference was organised by the Odisha PMU team bringing together sector-specific experts, including practitioners, researchers, and academicians, to gather insights to further enhance the report.
B. Under ENACTS in Bihar, a large-scale survey was conducted and data, images from several rural haats have been collected to gather perspective on their suitability towards NDFs. As a part of the unique survey, a visit to 37 small and large rural haats was conducted to get firsthand information about the location, composition, and periodicity. The detailed data capture will help identify challenges related to the affordability of nutritional foods for marginalised communities and the dominance of less nutritious foods in certain haats. This census on rural haats in Bihar sheds light on the availability and accessibility of nutritional foods in these marketplaces. The findings will provide valuable insights for policymakers, public health practitioners, and community development organisations to design targeted interventions that promote the availability and consumption of nutritious foods in rural areas.
C. Under the research arm for agriculture-nutrition convergence, INFUSION (Indian Food Systems for Improved Nutrition – a Policy Support Research Facility), the team of Bharti Institute is undertaking research and building a business case study for didi haats–an intervention being prepared for rural marketplaces led by women and focused to improve availability, accessibility and affordability of nutrient dense foods. The business model prototype will help decision makers to decide the scale, nature of investments such that the economics of the rural marketplaces is efficient, along with addressing the objective of improving availability, accessibility, and affordability of nutrient dense foods.
New Collaborations
Outreach Activities
Tech Policy Boot Camp: Bharti Institute of Public Policy organised a week-long Tech Policy Bootcamp at the Mohali campus of the Indian School of Business in collaboration with the Department of Digital Technologies and Governance, Government of Himachal Pradesh. The tech boot camp enabled the participants to familiarise themselves with the concept of how technology can improve e-governance services in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Eight participants from prestigious institutes such as IIM A, IIT Roorkee, IK Gujral Punjab Technical University, Punjab Technical University, Punjab Engineering College, etc., were selected through a rigorous selection process. Participants evaluated public service delivery in Himachal Pradesh as part of the boot camp.
Documentary and Report on Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project: Bharti Institute, in association with ISB Studios, commissioned a 42-minute film, which was conceived as an immersive pedagogical tool to enrich the teaching and learning experience by bringing the world’s largest irrigation project- Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, into the classroom.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
- Dr Aarushi Jain, Policy Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, ISB spoke on 'Women in Governance & Policymaking' at a panel discussion organised by the CII Indian Women Network (IWN) during the CII IWN #Telangana 'Leadership Conclave 2023' in Hyderabad.
- Dr Aarushi Jain participated at a session on “Public Policy Schools: Research, Education, and Collaboration” during the “XVIII International Conference on Public Policy and Management” held at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
- Dr Aarushi Jain participated in the 2nd Meta-Workshop-Brainstorming Session on developing a “Long Term Transformational Vision for Rural India”, organised by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, in New Delhi.
- Dr Aarushi Jain participated in the Roundtable Discussion on Building Collaborations to Support Data Driven Research and Policy, organised by J-PAL South Asia, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
- Dr Aarushi Jain participated in a panel discussion on “Tracking India’s Transformation Journey” at the ETGovernment DigiTech Conclave 2023.
- Prof. Anjal Prakash delivered a lecture on Climate Change's Impact on Water Resources at the annual partners’ event of Tata Trusts, which brings together diverse stakeholders committed to sustainable development and social progress, in Mumbai.
- Prof Anjal Prakash held a session on "Gender and Development: How are gender identities, roles, and stereotypes produced" and "Leadership in a changing world", at the Global Woman Foundation's "Women in Leadership" event at Telangana Police Academy, Hyderabad.
- Prof. Anjal Prakash attended a workshop organised by the UK Government that explored ideas about the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Seventh Assessment Report.
- Prof. Anjal Prakash moderated a discussion on "Circular Economy- Realities of Implementation,” at Synergize, a conclave on environmental sustainability organised by United Way Hyderabad.
- Prof. Anjal Prakash delivered a keynote address at the Climate Change alumni affinity group organised by the US Consulate General, Hyderabad.
- Prof. Anjal Prakash delivered a lecture on Understanding Climate Change and Individual Action at 'The Edmund Rice Social Justice Meet 2023’, in Chandigarh.
Research Publication & Blogs
- Prof. Anjal Prakash, Research Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, co-authored a paper titled, ‘ Sustainable socio-ecological transformations in agriculture: cases from South Asia’.
- Prof. Anjal Prakash, Research Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, co-authored a paper titled, ‘Barriers and opportunities in achieving climate and sustainable development goals in India: a multilevel analysis.’
- Bharti Institute has published over 60 blogs contributed by researchers, public policy practitioners, alumni, and academicians on a variety of topics. The research team of the Institute is also contributing write-ups and blogs for the HIM Data portal.
- As part of the Working Paper Series initiative of the Bharti Institute, four papers are in the pipeline and will be published soon.
BHARTI INSTITUTE IN NEWS
- ISB signed an MoU with the Government of Goa to commence a knowledge partnership with a focus on evidence-based policy formulation and impact in the State. The MoU was signed in the presence of Shri Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa by Shri Vijay B Saxena, Director, Directorate of Planning, Statistics & Evaluation and Professor Ashwini Chhatre. Read the news in The Times of India| The New Indian Express | The Hindu | The Pioneer | Deccan Chronicle | Namaste Telangana | Sakshi | Newstap| Telangana Today | UNI | Goan Reporter |
- ISB in association with the Capacity Building Commission (CBC) launched two online courses on the iGOT platform under the Mission Karmayogi initiative. The two online courses -Evidence in Public Policyand Insights from Data for Policy are authored by Professor Ashwini Chhatre and are aimed at strengthening the expertise in public policy of senior government functionaries. Read the news in The New Indian Express | The Hindu | Deccan Chronicle | The Pioneer | Sakshi | Bizzbuzz| Newstap| UNI|
- In a bid to explore potential collaborations between the Government of Punjab and academia partnership for effective governance and public service delivery in the state, Punjab Governance Reforms and Public Grievances Minister Aman Arora held discussions with a team of Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business. Read the story here in com.
Team in News
Prof. Ashwini Chhatre
Ashwini Chhatre was part of a study titled- ‘Climate resilience of dry season cereals in India’. The study has revealed that there is an alternative to Wheat— the traditionally grown Sorghum or Jowar. Read the news in The Times of India| The Hindu Business Line | The New Indian Express | Deccan Chronicle | DT Next | Dainik Bhaskar | The Hindu | Down to Earth | UNI | Newstap| Babushahi | Daijiworld |
Prof. Anjal Prakash
Professor Anjal Prakash shared his thoughts on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interview to Moneycontrol on climate change and clean energy deployment. Read his opinion here.
Anjal Prakash shared his thoughts in a story that talked about how India can meet its G20 climate goals. Read his views in ABP.
Anjal Prakash in an opinion piece in The Quint illustrated how Himachal Pradesh was battered due to climate change’s wrath.
Anjal Prakash was quoted in a story on the devastation caused by the recent landslides and flash floods in Himachal Pradesh. Read the full story in The Sunday Tribune.
Anjal Prakash was quoted in a story that talked about- ‘Why Public Policy is becoming increasingly relevant in Management education’. Read his views in The Times of India - Education Times.
Anjal Prakash in an opinion piece explored the sensitivity of wheat and sorghum yields to historical temperature changes, their water and climate needs. Read his opinion piece in BQ Prime.
Call for Working Papers & Research Blogs
It is for the relentless dedication of our amazing team that Bharti Institute keeps on scaling new heights and flourishing even when times get pandemically tough. We thank our researchers, associates, managers, writers, and coordinators for their contribution and noteworthy effort to Bharti Institute’s innovative programmes, change-oriented collaborations, and dynamic pursuits. Miles to go, together!
Bharti Institute of Public Policy’s team participated at the Independence Day celebrations held at Mohali campus of the Indian School of Business
About Bharti Institute of Public Policy
The Bharti Institute of Public Policy is an integral part of the Indian School of Business. Functioning as an independent think-tank, the institute engages with policy makers by providing them with critical, evidence-based analysis of public policy rooted in data. The institute works on policy challenges across diverse domains, the main ones being Agriculture and Food, Environment, Education, Financial Policy, Governance and Digital identity.
