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 Speaking up for Budget Private Schools: Meeting with Shri Arun JaitleyOn 10th January, a delegation representing the National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA) met Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Finance Minister to urge the government to release the reimbursements committed under Section 12 (1) (C) of the RTE to enable schools to ensure continued learning for students from economically weaker and disadvantaged communities. The delegation also voiced the concerns of budget private schools regarding the tax exemption bracket applicable to them as ‘non-for-profit’ entities, urging the government to increase the bracket from the current bar of Rs. 1 crore.  Bamboo is not a Tree: Meeting with the National Bamboo MissionWe met with Dr Alka Bhargava, Director, National Bamboo Mission and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, on 28th January to understand the enduring gaps in the regulation of bamboo cultivation and trade in India and the impact of the 2017 amendment to the Forest Rights Act that declared bamboo to be a grass, not a tree. Dr Bhargava highlighted the immense potential of the sector to transform livelihood opportunities for forest-dwelling marginalised communities and the lack of awareness among both, cultivators and investors as the fundamental factor deterring investments in the sector.  Advocating for the rights of street vendors at National Urban Livelihood MissionOn 18th January, the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs organised a workshop to bring together concerned state authorities to apprise them of the status of implementation of the Street Vendors Act 2014. The workshop was premised on the 2018 findings of our Annual Report on the Implementation of the Street Vendors Act to be released in February 2019. Chaired by Mr Sanjay Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the workshop was attended by State Mission Directors (SMDs) and other officials from across the country. Our findings were presented by Prashant Narang, Advocate, Supreme Court of India and former Manager, iJustice, Centre for Civil Soceity. |
 First Edition of Lex Policy: Rethinking Rules, Regulations, and the RepublicTo mark this Republic Day, we conducted our first two-day certificate course in Law and Public Policy from 26-27 January, New Delhi. With 40 young learners, the course explored ways in which the Indian constitution continues to be the fundamental determinant of government policy and its implications on our policy successes and failures. We also conducted iPolicy, our flagship introductory certificate course in public policy in partnership with four leading institutes of higher education in January: Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow; Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (Mumbai); Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune; and Madras School Of Social Work (MSSW), Chennai. 119 young leaders graduated from our courses. |
 On the Limits of Democracy: A ColloquiumWe hosted a Colloquium on 'Limits of Democracy' on 20th January at Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai with 23 participants including industry leaders, policy experts, researchers and academics. The colloquium served as a platform to understand Indian democracy, primarily in terms of the productive and protective roles of the state. The day-long colloquium also deliberated on the need for constitutional reforms, Indian electoral politics and the possibilities of minimising the state for maximum governance. Our participants included Rajesh Jain, Founder & Managing Director of Netcore Solutions; Shagata Mukherjee, Professor, Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics; Parth Shah, President, Centre for Civil Society; and Makarand Bakore, Lawyer, Bombay High Court, among others.  ISPP: Engaging Industry Leaders for Policy EducationOn 10th January, the Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP) hosted its first roundtable with industry experts to discuss market needs and understand their expectations from among policy professionals. Steered by Dr Shubhashis Gangopadhyay, Dean, ISPP, the dialogue brought together 10 representatives from the school’s industry partners to dialogue on curricular framework and contents, and understand industry requirements, recommendations and concerns. Our participants included representatives from Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Uber, Procter & Gamble (P&G), GMR Group, Deloitte, Juul India, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, and Quicksand, along with senior bureaucrats and government officials. |
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Rohan JollyJunior Associate, Marketing and Partnerships Rohan completed his undergraduate degree from Symbiosis International University and with a specialisation in Marketing. He is the Co-founder of Eniak Edutech, a Mumbai based edtech startup and has worked extensively in the education and social impact sectors. He is extremely enthusiastic and is passionate about learning new things and exploring new opportunities. 
Sourya BanerjeeProject Associate, Hyderabad Sourya holds a BBA-LLB (Hons.) degree and has formerly practised as a lawyer in Hyderabad. He has also worked with numerous non-profits social organisations including the Red Elephant Foundation and Red Dot Foundation and written extensively on law and policy for online platforms such as LiveLaw, The Logical Indian, Qrius etc. A former Students for Liberty Hyderabad Local Coordinator, Sourya also runs a citizen journalism platform called Arguendo.  Utkarsh KhareAssociate Utkarsh is a law graduate from Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RML NLU) Lucknow. He has previously worked with Members of Parliament on Private Members Bills from judicial and police reforms to drug legalisation and strongly believes in the power of well-drafted legislation for good governance. He enjoys challenging workspaces that encourage creative and critical thinking and is passionate about making a positive impact on social institutions. He is a voracious reader, an avid photographer, and enjoys listening to music from the 60s and 70s. |
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