F E L LOW S Y E A R B O O KT H E N AT I O N B U I L D E R S I N M A K I N G

2016 - 17

Vision India Foundation is a non-profit initiative

by faculty and alumni of various IITs. We are a

platform for the brightest youth of the country

to participate in the modern nation-building

movement. We invest in human capital to bring

about systemic transformation through public

policy and governance.

Through our fellowship, we select, support, and

mentor future leaders of the country. Here, we

present the fellowship candidates of the inau-

gural batch.

“VIF fellowship offers an

extraordinary exposure to policies

and their implementation. It

provides perfect amalgamation of

research work and actual ground

experience.”

Apula Singh, an LSR graduate and an Urban Policy & Governance post-graduate

from TISS, has been associated with VIF as a fellow since 2016. Her Bachelor

in economics gave her a head-start towards understanding the complexities

of development. The discrepancy in policies and actual implementation,

her conscious choice to step away from the corporate sector as well as her

fascination for developing a greater understanding of policy regime made her

go for the VIF Fellowship. VIF provided her access to a network of stakeholders

that could make things happen.

APULA SINGHURBAN GOVERNANCE

COMPONENTS OF FELLOWSHIP

CHALLENGES & LEARNING

LONG TERM PLANS

Focuses on ‘Urban local governance and municipal waste management’

Her first article ‘Delhi’s demand for full statehood’ was published in The Wire. She has written for The Hindu on ‘MCD’s trifurcation at Core of sanitation strike’

Worked on piloting a composting project in a North Delhi neighbourhood.

Presently, documenting community-led best practices of waste management, urban transportation and revival of public spaces, to be compiled into a book.

The ambiguity regarding her project involvement in the initial span of fellowship, challenged her to take initiative and become self-driven.

Faced reluctance & non-responsiveness on part of some stakeholders involved in the projects.

Learnt about the importance of community participation for bridging the current gap in quality urban services.

Learnt to appreciate the inter-linkages between different verticals of public policy and the importance of a civilizational narrative.

She plans to work as a private consultant on urban development projects to government bodies. As government bodies are increasingly seeking private consultants to work on policy making and planning, administering, monitoring and evaluating different government schemes, she aims to work with a spectrum of stakeholders that work in tandem with the

government.

Briefing volunteers before survey and segregation at source awareness drive in New Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi

Interviewing a waste collector for waste management documentary

Decoding Delhi’s Demand for Full Statehood

The article explains Delhi’s peculiar case of governance and how being a quasi-state fuelled multiple altercations between the AAP-led Delhi Government and the Union government.

Referring to international cases of governing capital cities, the article suggests the way forward for Delhi.

No More N-I-M-B-Y

The article talks about the severity of poor waste management in Delhi and builds a case for decentralized solid waste management such that people segregate and treat the waste at source.

Let’s Talk About AMRUT Before We Get To Smart Cities

The article briefly talks about the Union government’s 2 flagship urban schemes – AMRUT and Smart Cities. It argues that the poor urban infrastructure and services cannot form a base for area-centric ‘smart’ solutions, thus focus should first be on providing basic infrastruc-ture through AMRUT.

Why Delhi Should Discuss MCD Trifurcation Before 2017 Municipal Elections

The article explains the process of trifurcation of MCD, and how the process followed did not address the Delhi government’s reasons given for trifurcation.

MCD Trifurcation: A Failed Experiment, Or Is There Hope Yet?

The article explains how no government’s stake in the success of trifurcation impacted the local government, as seen through funds, functions and functionaries.

MCD Trifurcation at Core of Sanitation Strike

The article links the frequent strikes by sanitation workers in East Delhi to the trifurcation of MCD and argues for appropriate devolution of funds to make the MCD financially sustainable.

Budget 2017 Lays a Solid Foundation for The ‘Housing For All by 2022’ Scheme

The article analyses the 2017 Union Budget’s announce-ments made for the promotion of Affordable Housing.

How Trifurcation Worsened East Delhi’s Local Governance

The article discusses the outcomes of MCD trifurcation on East Delhi and specifically looks at how allocation of staff and financ-es have impacted the objective of adminis-trative efficiency and accessibility.

Everyone acknowledges the issues

but only few have an attitude of

working towards them. VIF has

prompted me to be in line with

those few”.

Mahesh, originally a resident of a small village in the Chittoor district of Andhra

Pradesh, is a bachelor in electronics and communication from JNTU, Anantpur.

His avidity for politics made him pursue Masters in Development Studies from

Azim Premji University. He was an elected member of Azim Premji University

student council 2014-15. He managed a club called “Pahal” which aimed at

helping the disadvantaged communities in Bangalore. As someone who has

a great zeal in serving people and has set his sight on joining politics in the

future, the VIF fellowship on “Constituency Management” gave the needed

exposure and guidance. Working under a Member of Parliament provided him

with the required knowledge, experience and network.

GONDI MAHESHCONSTITUENCY MANAGEMENT

COMPONENTS OF FELLOWSHIP

CHALLENGES & LEARNING

LONG TERM PLANS

In the initial phase of his fellowship, Mahesh worked on an “Internship Programme at MP office” for local college students who aspired to work for people. This internship focused on ensuring proper implementation of government schemes in the local area. Also, he worked on the “Jan Sunwai Programme”. It was a grievance redressal program wherein people came with their problems and a committee headed by the MP addressed the issues. This was done in all eight blocks of the district and nearly 2300 grievances were registered. Currently working on tech solution for effectively monitoring those huge number of grievances.

He has also been a part of “Sansad Trophy” which focused on identifying the sports talent from rural areas and nurture them to represent “Satna” district in State, National and International level.

He has traveled to many places to learn the best practices in Good Governance. He has visited Gangadevipally Model Village, Punsari Model Village, Hamar Chhattisgarh Yojana 2016-18 (Awareness Program for Panchayat Members), e-Uparjan (e- Procurement System), Jal Yukt Shivar Yojana (bid to make Maharashtra a drought-free state by 2019), Dantewada Livelihood College (Skill Development Center), UTTAR-A Software (Universal Transparent Tracking of Applications), and Pradan NGO work (Women Empowerment Model) etc.

He also prepared the questions for the parliament session that the MP asks. The questions were also invited from general public and academia.

Language barrier: It was challenging to understand the local dialect “Bagheli”, read the documents written in Hindi and effectively communicate to Member of Parliament.

Limited cooperation from bureaucracy and different work culture of an MP’s Office.

Grassroots connection: It is very important to have connections with grassroots even after reaching good position in politics.

Mahesh aspires to work with the Local Government Representatives for the proper implementation of 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment acts & empower the Panchayati Raj Institutions. He is currently focusing on contesting Panchayat elections next year which will help him unravel var-ious ground issues in the locality. He also aspires to establish “Panchayat Training Institute” to empower the elected representatives & functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions. He firmly believes “with people’s participa-tion, he will make his gram panchayat a Model Gram Panchayat by 2020”. Mahesh asserts that the youth of the future will have a new attitude to-wards politics and their villages. They will engage with their villages to

constructively and actively contribute in development.

Addressing students on Cancer Awareness and Stem Cell Donation

Datri awareness session in Satna covered by Dainik Bhaskar

In conversation with Sh. Dr. Raman Singh regarding Hamar Chattisgarh Yojana

Inaugurating the Job Mela organized by Govt. (PG) College, Satna

In conversation with Sh. P. Narahari, IAS regarding UTTAR - A software

Internship inauguration AKSU - Jansandesh Newspaper.

Organizing Jan Sunwai Program in Ram nagar Block, Satna District

Organizing Saansad Trophy Final 2017

Saansad Trophy Finals covered in Jan Sandesh

Visit to Hamar Chhattisgarh Yojana

2016-18

Internship programme covered in quarterly magazine Govt. (Auto) PG College, Satna

Job fair in Satna covered in Dainik Bhaskar Daily

“The multi-domain exposure

offered by the VIF fellowship is

an unconventional opportunity

to explore and implement your

ideas, following your own unique

methods.”

Kamal Madishetty has a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication

engineering from IIT Guwahati. Following which, his zeal for public policy

and international relations led him to pursue a Master’s in ‘Diplomacy,

Law & Business’ from the Jindal School of International Affairs, Haryana.

The prospects of interacting with people from different policy domains and

getting an opportunity to apply his knowledge of international relations

made him opt for the VIF fellowship after his Master’s. His fellowship at VIF

focuses on India’s foreign relations and strategic interests.

KAMAL MADISHETTYFOREIGN AFFAIRS

COMPONENTS OF FELLOWSHIP

CHALLENGES & LEARNING

LONG TERM PLANS

His fellowship entails publishing articles in various reputed national and international media outlets covering contemporary issues of Indian foreign policy, particularly India’s neighbourhood policy.

He has contributed articles to The Diplomat, DailyO, Swarajya Magazine, International Policy Digest, The Hans India (Hyderabad based newspaper), and Centre for Land Warfare Studies (Defence think-tank).

Engaged in creating video content in the form of VIF Policy Watch.

Present research focuses on the contemporary goals of Indian foreign policy and compile those research outputs into a book that can be disseminated to young citizens of the country.

The biggest challenge he faced in the initial span of his fellowship was to narrow down the choices of various research proposals to something attainable or achievable.

The ability to analytically articulate his views on contemporary policy issues, be it in articles or videos, has been a great learning experience.

As someone who has great interest and curiosity in foreign affairs, he has an inclination towards aspiring to join the Indian Foreign Service. As a career diplomat, he aims to contribute towards tackling the strategic challenges in Indian foreign policy. Kamal believes that as a civil servant he will be able to play an active and

fulfilling role in nation building.

At the Parliamentary Debate at IIT Guwahati as the judge

In conversation with Dr. J P Narayan during Policy BootCamp 2016

The article is a tribute to the service of P. Gopichand to Indian sport. It argues that Gopi is not just an ordinary coach but a change agent who challenged the status quo.

The article comprehensively explores into the contemporary bilateral relations between India and Afghanistan, and foresees the future trends.

This article explains how the Indus Water Treaty is unfair on India and why its abrogation must not be ruled out without a rethink.

The article gives a brief overview of the history of BIMSTEC and argues that the organization can play a greater role in the current scenario where Pakistan is playing the spoilsport in SAARC.

The article lists the various institutional mechanisms undertaken by the BRICS and major outcomes of the Goa summit.

The article presents an analysis of the opportunities and challenges for Heart of Asia process on the eve of its sixth ministerial conference at Amritsar.

The article explains the significance of the government’s decision to abolish the FIPB and how it fits into the larger strategy of liberalizing FDI norms in the country.

This article gives an overview of India’s Neighborhood First Policy under the Modi government and suggests the way forward.

“VIF association turned out to

be an open door for me that

helped me shape my career and

supported me in my aims and

aspirations”

Manjeet comes from a small village, Giduraha, in Jabalpur district of Madhya

Pradesh. He did graduation in Geography from B.H.U. and post graduation

in “Climate Change and Sustainability Studies” from Tata Institute of Social

Sciences, Manjeet.. His urge to serve the socially backward segments of

the society stimulates him to join politics and ensure proper awareness

as well as implementation of policies. The Fellowship on “Constituency

Management” at VIF paves the way for him to get the required guidance and

exposure for his long term goals and plans.

MANJEET PATELCONSTITUENCY MANAGEMENT

COMPONENTS OF FELLOWSHIP

CHALLENGES & LEARNING

LONG TERM PLANS

Responsibility in Office: Follow Up schemes performance PM Ujjawala and PM Fasal Bima Yojana. Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. Document and process visitors grievances at MP office. Interact and manage the Karyakartas. Election analysis: Member of Par-liament’s Gram Panchayat level performance election analysis in all three loksabha elections. Interact with Sarpanch and other visitors document voters aspiration, voting pattern and MPLAD fund allocation. Briefing the various proposals received at office to MP Sir like campaign management etc.

Manjeet has been a part of various projects in the span of his fellowship. Some of the projects are listed below:

Managing the volunteers was challenging at first.

Coordination with Bureaucrats: He learned to multitask and to handle the last minute pressure when most people around him preferred to pile up the work which

needed to be completed by a pre-specified deadline.

However sordid it may seem, politics seem to be the most preferred way to serve people, contribute towards the betterment of the society, and for working towards the seedy aspects of policies. Manjeet trusts that by being the one in charge of execution, one can guaran-

tee the advancement of people.

Tiranga Yatra: Under this, they covered Shaheed villages honouring Veer Nari/Veer Mata in all 8 Blocks of Satna District.

Jan Sunwai: A grievance redressal camp where people come and present their grievance to the MP, the concern department will register and process the issue. Jan Sunwai includes proper registration by anyone who wants his grievance to be addressed. Following which, people are informed about the grievance status from time to time until any solution is proposed. Total 10 Jan Sunwai camp was organized in the constituency and nearly 2300 grievances were processed.

Internship: The internship program focused on recruiting about a 100 interns who would work in the local MP office. The project emphasized on evaluation of government schemes, connecting the youth with the MP, to send a message to panchayat level government workers that their work is monitored. Also, to give exposure to local MSW students to meet the Bureaucrats and Village elected representative.

Mera Mobile Mera Bank: A one day long workshop on digital literacy program for all elected public representative. The main focus was on local level public representative Sarpanch, Panch and Parshad.

Saansad Trophy: “Khiladi Pratibha Khoj” This event was organized to scour for talented youth in the rural India.

Organized and attended block coordinator meeting for “Saan-sad Trophy”

Monitoring the data collection during Internship program.

News coverage of the internship program’s inauguration ceremony.

News coverage of orientation workshop organized for Internship program.

Briefing the Saansad Trophy closing ceremony prepara-tion to the MP.

With the MP during Jan Sunwai at Block Amarpatan.

Attending Development review meeting at Nagar Panchayat Majhagawan.

“VIF Fellowship gives me the

opportunity to explore the

relevance of civilisational aspects

and perspectives on contemporary

issues.”

Shyam Krishnakumar, a bachelors in Computer Science from Amrita

University, Coimbatore, has been a fellow with VIF since 2016. His urge to

serve in the education sector and start a dharmic business made him co-

found EduSeva Technologies - a social enterprise focusing on technology-

and pedagogy-driven interventions in education. His inquisitiveness for

understanding policy made him attend the Policy BootCamp 2016 where he

realized the role that civilizational perspectives can play in informing policy.

He found the VIF fellowship focusing on the Indian Grand Narrative to be in

complete alignment with his ambitions and passion.

SHYAM KRISHNAKUMARCIVILIZATIONAL STUDIES

COMPONENTS OF FELLOWSHIP

CHALLENGES & LEARNING

Publishing articles in various media focusing on how civilizational perspectives inform contemporary issues.

Research on forgotten icons focusing on their contributions to the way we see our country.

Worked on short video series on Indic Lenses.

Presently, working on a book on “Indic frameworks for Contemporary Life”

The complete autonomy regarding the course of work challenged him to take responsibility and be self-determined.

Gaining a deeper understanding of the dharmic world-view, the importance of a civilizational narrative and how it can offer a powerful lens to analyze the world today.

Given the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the policy space and contemporary issues.

LONG TERM PLANS

He is looking at a career in academia in the humanities and social sciences which would give the intellectual frameworks and freedom to study contemporary issues from a civilizational perspective. He aims to mentor students and contribute to thought building through

publishing articles and books.

On the 90th Siddhi Day of Sri Aurobindo, this article focuses on the contemporary relevance of both his nationalism and philosophy.

On the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s 145th birth anniversary, this article focuses on the contemporary relevance of his teachings and his vision for India.

The article explores if the budget adequately addresses some key issues in the education sector in accordance with the draft National Education Policy’s suggestions and the implications for each focus area.

The article explores the educational vision that Mirra Alfassa, known as the Mother, pioneered and implemented at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education and how it can concretely address some key concerns plaguing our current models.

The article explores how Ganga becoming a “legal person” is a reflection of our civilizational ethos and the possibilities the Indic world-view of sacredness holds for environmental sustainability.

“VIF fellowship made me

contemplate what I wanted to

achieve in life and what should be

the course of action to achieve it.

Supriya hails from a small town named Palus in the Sangli District of

Maharashtra. After completing her bachelors in Information Technology,

her yearning to serve the society made her work for The Art of Living

Foundation for two years. Following which, her fascination for public policy

took her to pursue Masters in “Good Governance & Public Policy” from Sri

Sri University. The VIF Fellowship provides her with proper guidance and

exposure needed for her future goals and ambitions. Her fellowship at VIF

focuses on “Constituency Management”.

SUPRIYA PATILCONSTITUENCY MANAGEMENT

COMPONENTS OF FELLOWSHIP

CHALLENGES & LEARNING

Her fellowship involves working in the office of Member of Parliament.

Her work focuses on Parliamentary research including preparing speeches, questions, and private member bills.

In the course of her fellowship she has worked on a project “Internship for Good Governance and Exposure to Students” which involved hiring interns to work in the local MP’s office.

Her work also involves providing suggestions for differ-ent schemes.

Oblivious to the hectic work schedule involved in work-ing under a Member of Parliament, she tried to assim-ilate and adapt the work strategies required for such kind of work.

Initially, she confronted various loopholes in coordina-tion with the fellows which made her self-driven.Adhering to the work requirements was challenging at first but soon it made her proficient in time and work management.

Her fellowship enlightened her to multitask in a dy-namic workspace.

LONG TERM PLANS

Supriya aims to bring into focus the ground level issues by joining politics. Her idea of change involves impacting people through policies and reforms. She aims to reach maximum

people and address various issues through her work.

On behalf of the MP’s Office, facilitated meeting of Young India Foundation fellows with EDMC’s director of School Education; fellows are working on the education project for East Delhi constituency.

Did research in my personal capacity to improve quality of parliamentary research at MP’s office. For that visited PPRC and their research fellows, also shared my ideas with them.

East Delhi MP office had organized mega equipment distribution camp for Divyang people on 29th January. Worked as a part of the core team to plan and execute the whole program. Also involved seven volunteers from IIT Delhi and Art of Living for the event.

As a part of the MP office team, organized ‘Rakshabandhan celebrations’ for more than 300 women in the presence of the MP. Assisted the MP in the function.

Two months internship program was organized by the MP, perhaps first of its kind in the country. Worked under the guidance of MP and his OSD to carry out macro as well as micro tasks of the whole program.

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