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pa r a d i g m s h i f t

US-INDIA POLICY INSTITUTEDEvELOPmENT • DEmOCrACY • DIvErSITY

rEgISTErED AS NON-PrOfIT IN 2011 IN WAShINgTON, D.C., USA

US-INDIA POLICY INSTITUTEDEvELOPmENT • DEmOCrACY • DIvErSITY

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VISIONThe Usipi envisions that citizens of india and the United states and the world at large are economically, educationally, politically and culturally engaged and have equal access to freedom, justice and opportunity without any prejudice.

MISSIONindia and the Us are the World’s largest and oldest democracies. This special relationship is based on common commitment to equal-ity, freedom, rights and equal access to resources and developmental opportunities. Usipi is committed to materializing this mission:

• Generate facts for effective public policy.

• Articulate policy vision for economic development, diversity, equal opportunity and inclusiveness.

• Provide forum for debate and discourse on strengthening democracy, secular institutions and minority rights in India and the US.

• strive to stimulate a deep Us and india relationship committed to sustainable development.

• Conduct research and publish papers on sustainable development, democracy, diversity and equal opportunity.

• Identify issues confronting the nations and suggest policy reform.

• Prepare Status Reports on issues of Development, Democracy and Diversity especially the inter-relationships between them.

• Review of post-Sachar Committee inclusive policies on a regular basis.

• Diversity Index - prepare methodologies for indexing universities, States and business corporations.

• Research and Policy relating to elimination of bonded child Labor.

• Gender empowerment and family polices.

• Strive for establishment of equal opportunity commission leading to creation of ministries at federal and state levels.

• Articulate and study discriminatory practices in access to education, employment, banking and housing.

• Exchange programs and engaging civil society through dialog.

• Write speeches and policy brief for leaders on sustainable development, democracy and diversity.

• Generate new opportunity for dialogue and engagement with Government and other policy making bodies such as the Planning Commission, Reserve Bank of India and Federations of Industry and commerce.

ACTIVITIES: Priority Research and Analysis

About US-India Policy Institute (USIPI)“Business Plan for Social Change”

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US-INDIA POLICY INSTITUTE

OBJECTIVES

Research:

Undertake research in the area of economic develop-ment, product and labor markets, social development, diversity, equal opportunity, rule of law and justice. de-sign and execute empirical, evidenced based research and analysis and publish books, monographs and jour-nal articles. Publish ‘policy notes’ on key issues relevant for india, south asia and the United states.

Policy Reform:

identify specific sectors of the economy, society and pol-ity where policy reforms are necessary. Be watchful of all the major policy announcements of the government of india and state governments and assess their impact on the lives and living conditions of the deprived communi-ties including the minorities. prioritize policy issues that promote inclusiveness, equal opportunity and diversity in public and private spheres in india.

Services:

The Usipi will provide the following services to all inter-ested in india and the Usa.

• Provide access to Indian economic research• Review policy announcements, parliamentary acts and legal decisions relevant for growth of the indian econo-my and economic partnership with United states. • Lead and manage business delegations, special interest groups, student and cultural organizations between the Usa and india. • Facilitate participation in India economic policy forums.• Host debates and policy discussions for academics from the United states, india and other countries with interest in india and Usipi focus areas.• Organize lectures by experts within the US and visiting dig-

nitaries such as the academics, policy makers, diplomats, ne-gotiators, corporate and government officials, legal experts, religious personalities and civil society representatives.

Exchange and Civil Society Interaction:

Encourage and provide opportunities for research ex-changes between scholars from the United states and india in areas that contribute to Usipi’s mission and ac-tivities. interact with indian civil society organizations to provide technical assistance to support programs that pro-mote inclusive development across india, including both independent projects and projects undertaken in collabo-ration with government departments and agencies.

Priority Research and Policy Studies

• Monitor and evaluate all programs of major ministries and departments of the government of india that impact diversity and inclusiveness. • Advocate multinational corporations and governmental sector to ensure diversity in the workplace. Compile and explain existing diversity programs and corporate ethical practices in compliance with government orders and poli-cies in the trade associated Us investments in india.• Engage and influence international funding agencies to incorporate inclusive policies and develop strategies to support and empower marginalized and economically disadvantaged groups within india. • Advocate for the establishment of Equal Opportunity Commission/s (EOC) at the national and state levels.• Advocate for the establishment of National Data Bank/s (NDB) at the national and state levels• Facilitate the formation of National Wakf Council (NWC) and make the State Wakf Boards accountable and authorize NWC to establish a National Wakf De-velopment Corporation so as to develop Wakf proper-ties in the country.

Undertake policy research on diversity and inclusive development in both the Union and State governments in India. Draw upon the historical experiences of resolutions reached over the major developmental conflicts between the US Federal and State governments.

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“Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.”- Mahatma Gandhi

Strategic Policy Negotiationsin 2005, indian prime minister manmohan singh ap-pointed the High Level Committee to prepare a report on the social, economic and educational condition of the muslim community of india. This committee is also known as Sachar Committee headed by former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Justice Rajinder Sachar pro-duced a 403 pages report in 2006. The findings of this committee brought about a paradigm change in the pol-icy discourse in india. The empirical data of this report exposed that the Muslim appeasement argument was in fact a myth they were found at the bottom of the devel-opment ladder across india. The next logical step is to capitalize on this discourse in the policy arena and to devise and implement strate-gies for systemic impact in the lives of all citizens. These kinds of policy discourses lead to government policies that have long and wide-ranging impact in the lives of millions. An example is the initiatives by various Min-istries including the Ministry of Minority Affairs, which

is now steered by mr. salman Khurshid, a minister of cabinet rank.Justice sachar’s comments: in any country the faith and the confidence of the minorities in the impartial func-tioning of the state is the acid test of being a civilized State. This is accepted wisdom. Indian Supreme Court has also held; “We the people of india have given to ourselves the Constitution which is not for any par-ticular community or section but for all. its provisions are intended to protect all, minority as well as majority communities. We conceive the duty of this Court to uphold the fundamental rights and thereby honor the sacred obligation to the minority communities who are our own.”. The Court stressed that: “The purpose of law in plural societies is not the progressive assimila-tion of the minorities in the majoritarian milieu. This would not solve the problem; but would vainly seek to dissolve it.”

Salman KhurshidCabinet Minister for Law and Justice, and Minority Affairs

Rajinder SacharChief Justice (Retired) Delhi High Court

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US-INDIA POLICY INSTITUTE

To take the USIPI mission forward we need to build stra-tegic partnerships with institutions in various states, that will compliment as counterparts in india. such institu-tions would undertake substantial empirical, analytical and academic research. it is essential to cultivate a dedi-cated core of analysts and associates spread all over india through a compact (written MOUs) with the counter-part so that the india-state level unique issues are dealt with. USIPI already has a strong partner in CRDDP based in New Delhi, India. Centre for Research and De-bates in Development Policy (CRDDP) is a New Delhi based research organization registered under the indian societies registration act, XXi of 1860. The main objec-tives of the CRDDP are to undertake action research and provide social service to clearly identified geographic ar-eas and population groups in all parts of india. The ap-proach of CRDDP will be to assist the policy makers, na-

tional and international funding agencies, bilateral and multinational development institutions in charting out the investment and expenditure strategies in alleviating poverty, augmenting human development and promot-ing diversity in public spaces.

CRDDP Principals:Abusaleh Shariff and B. L. Joshi

Institutional ArrangementsUSA - INDIA partnerships and compact

delhi

CRDDP

strategic partners

hyderabad

mumbai

ahmedabad

ChennaiBengaluru

Kolkata

patnaguwahati

Usipi headquarters

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C., USA1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036 Phone: 202-688-1947 • Fax: 202-688-1947Email: info@usindiapolicy.org • Web: www.usindiapolicy.org

New Delhi, IndiaA702, 97, I. P. Extension, Delhi-110 092 Phone: +91 11 222 32 515 • Fax: +91 11 222 32 515Email: info@crddp.org • Web. www.crddp.org

“It is essential to cultivate a dedicated core of analysts and associates spread all over India through a compact with the counterpart so that the India-state level unique issues are dealt with.”

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Ongoing USIPI Research Projects1. Review of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the USA

The government of india, in principle has agreed to setup a national level EOC subsequent to a recommendation made by the Sachar Committee in 2006. However, given a large and diverse country which follows electoral demo-cratic structure and principle of majority rule, it is often complicated to set up new institutions for improving gov-ernance. EOC is intended to support the performance of governments through research, analysis and policy stric-tures on public system, private markets and civil society. It also aims in facilitating access to individuals and groups of people when they have a basis to seek relief on situations of discrimination and exclusion. Although the formation of EOC has tactical support of most political parties, the real test is when a bill is formally introduced in the parliament for seeking a majority vote. It is useful if international experiences of the EOC are documented and the best practices, scope and function-ing within a democratic setup are studied. Usa is one the few democratic countries in the world which has a functional equal employment and opportunity com-mission (EEOC) based on the principle of ‘civil liberties’ and equality of access to opportunities to minorities. a detailed understanding of the structure and mechanism of its day to day functioning will help recommend a durable EOC in India. Besides, the views and level of sat-isfaction of government - (both polity and bureaucracy) and affected people in the form of documenting the best practices will go a long way to support the establishment of the EOC in India.

2. How inclusive are inclusive policies in India? 5-years after Sachar?

It is about five years that Sachar Committee report was submitted to the prime minister of india and subse-quently to the parliament. The government made a number of announcements during this period about exclusive implementation of policies and programs, such

as the pm’s 15 point programs and minority concentra-tion district programs. however, there has been no credible and methodologically sound study to evalu-ate and assess the above cited initiatives. Besides, the main philosophy of the sachar report was to enable minorities including the muslims, find their place in accordance with their population (eligible groups) share in the nation’s flagship programs and programs aimed to enhance education and employment; and improve income earning opportunities including access to credit and markets and other poverty alleviation programs. The Usipi will sponsor a segment of this study with a focus on evaluating the educational programs and ac-cess to bank credit to the minorities in India.

3. ‘Diversity and Development in India’

This is the title of a book which will be edited by the staff of the USIPI, by commissioning a number of book chapters each written by a well known expert in the respective area.

The following themes are identified:

• Why and how diversity is essential for India’s development? • Policy and Public response to diversity and development• Diversity in Employment in the Productive Sectors including Government Employment• Diversity in employment in private sector• Socio-religious Differentials in higher education in India• Gender double whammy: A case of religious minority women • Relative contribution of the Socio-religious communities to india’s gdp• Computing Diversity Index for India and its major states• How media responds to diversity and religious identity in india?• Role of civil society in promoting diversity in public spaces• Mechanisms of inclusive Panchayatraj system in India• Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Development: a global perspective

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US-INDIA POLICY INSTITUTE

Abusaleh Shariff, Ph. D., Executive Director, US-India Policy Institute, Washington DCPresident, Center For Research and Debates in Development Policy, New delhi, india

Ajit Ranade, Ph. D., Distinguished ScholarChief Economist, Aditya Birla Group (of Companies)mumbai, india

A.K. Shivakumar, Ph. D., PatronMember, National Advisory CouncilAdvisor, UNICEFNew delhi, india

A. M. Ahmadi, PatronChief Justice (Retired) of the Supreme Court of India,New delhi, india

Anil B. Deolalikar, Ph. D., Distinguished ScholarProfessor & Associate Dean, Department of Economics,University of Californiariverside, Usa

Amir Ullah Khan, Ph.D., Distinguished Scholardirector, strategy, planning and management,Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationNew delhi, india

Attaulla Khan, TrusteeIT Project Manager, CNSIBaltimore, USA

B. L. Joshi, AdvisorCEO, Ctr. for Research and Debates in Development Policy,New delhi, india

B. L. Mungekar, Ph. D., PatronFormer member Planning Commissionmp, rajya sabhamumbai, india

Chris Smith, CPACertified Public Accountant (CPA)Chicago, USA

Farah Naqvi, PatronMember, National Advisory CouncilNew delhi, india

Farooq Sheikh, Patronphilanthropist, television presenter and film actor,mumbai, india

Hyder Khan, M.D., Ph.D., Trusteefounding member, supporters of human rights in indiaminneapolis, UsaTrustee, Indian American Muslim Council

Jeemol Unni, Ph.D., Patrondirector, institute for rural managementanand, india

Keith Ellison, PatronMember of Congressminneapolis, Usa

Manzoor Alam, Ph.D., PatronChairman, Institute of Objective StudiesNew delhi, india

Mehtab Azam, Ph.D., Distinguished ScholarThe World BankWashington DC, USA

Muqtedar Khan, Ph. D., Distinguished Scholarprofessor of political science and international relationsUniversity of delawareNewark, USA

P. A. Inamdar, PatronChairman, Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Societypune, india

Parvez Ahmed, Ph. D., Distinguished Scholarprofessor of finance, University of North floridaJacksonville, USA

Rafiq Dossani, Ph. D., Distinguished Scholarsenior research scholarDirector of Center for South Asiastanford University Palo Alto, CA

Ramaswamy Sudarshan, PatronPolicy Advisor-Legal Reform and Justice,UNDP Asia Pacific Regional CentreBangkok, Thailand

Rakesh Basant, Ph.D., PatronChairman, Economics Program, Indian Institute of Managementahmedabad, india

Rasheed Ahmed, TrusteeMember Board of Directors, World Congress of Muslim PhilanthropistsChicago, USA

Ravinder Kaur, Ph.D., Distinguished Scholarprofessor, indian institute of technologyNew delhi, india

Salman Khurshid, PatronMinister of Law and Justice, and Minister of Minority Affairs,government of indiaNew delhi, india

Sayeeda Hamid, Ph.D., PatronMember, Planning CommissionNew delhi, india

S.L. Rao, PatronFormer Director-General, National Council of AppliedEconomic ResearchFormer Chairman, Central Electricity Regulatory CommissionNew delhi, india

Sriya Iyer, Ph. D., Distinguished ScholarIsaac Newton Trust Affiliated LecturerFaculty of Economics and Fellow of St. Catharine’s CollegeUniversity of CambridgeCambridge, UK

Sudarshan Iyangar, Ph. D., PatronVice Chancellor, Gujarat Vidyapeethahmedabad, india

Syed Zameer Pasha, IAS, AdvisorFounder, Alfalah Educational Institutions, MagadiBangaluru, India

Zubair Patel, M.S., TrusteePresident, PhyCom Inc.Chicago, USA

Xhengis Aliupublication & multimediaChicago, USA

Patrons, Distinguished Scholars, Advisors & Trustees

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Categories and definitions of individuals and institutions associated with the USIPIEndowments: USIPI invites endowments of significantamounts as bequeaths and returns from investments willbe used for research and management of Usipi and its as-sociate institution. such endowments can be identified onthe express consent of the donors.

Patron: any individual who have lent her name and con-sented to get associated with the institutional concept ofUsipi, its mission and vision. generally such individualshave highly accomplished public life in areas such as inacadamics, politics, judiciary, corporate and civil society.Distinguished Scholars/Advisor: Distinguished Scholarsand advisors are individuals who will contribute substan-tially often on honorary basis to the establishment andfunctioning of the Usipi. some of them would be subjectexperts may also contribute written material for publica-tion and presentations on the Usipi focus area. Others will help Usipi in its administration, financial manage-ment, fund raising, media networking activities.

Benefactor: A benefactor is the backbone of USIPI. S/he will make financial contribution on a regular basis either through bequeath or sponsorships. They will have a ma-jor say in the policy directions of the Usipi as an institu-tion. The minimum subscription to become a benefactor is $10,000.

Privileges:• Invitee to the USIPI annual review events• Priority in the formation of ‘delegations’ from the Usa to india• Invitations to distinguished lectures• Invitations to private meetings with dignitaries• Preleased access to printed and digital research and policy services• Access to password protected online USIPI forum• Share development and investment profiling of Indian economy

Sponsor: any individual who contributes a minimum of$5000 per annum will be listed as an esteemed sponsorof the Usipi. They will receive all types of published and

printed material of the USIPI. Besides, they can take activerole in the interactive mediums of Usipi such as ‘managedwebsite’ – usindiapolicy.org.

Supporter: A USIPI supporter is one who expresses a de-sire to be associated with, and the Usipi board of directorsapprove on a bi-annual basis, such names to be listed.supporters can contribute in whatever manner they can,financially or otherwise which enhance the institutionalsetup of the Usipi. They can with the prior invitation of the board of governors participate in the annual events.

USIPI: A Business Plan For Social Change

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Dr. Abusaleh Shariff is a human development economist. Through research, publications and policy advice it was possi-ble for him to get the indian muslim deprivation on the main-stream policy and academic debates. He is Chief Economist at the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Del-hi associated with it since 1994. he was member-secretary of the Prime Minister’s Committee to assess the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim Community of India’ and lead author of the now well known ‘Sachar Committee’ report submitted to the prime minister of india dr. manmohan singh on 17th November 2006. he was also a member of the minis-try of Home Affairs, Government of India’s ‘Committee for the Consultations on the Situation in Andhra Pradesh’. He worked as a senior research fellow, at the international food policy Research Institute, Washington DC during 2008-10. Dr. Shariff was a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Inter-national Family Fellowship to undertake research at Economic Growth Centre of Yale University, USA during 1991-2. He has a PhD (1986) from Australian National University, Canberra, Australia and M.A degree from Bangalore University, India. He has over 30 years of consistent record of academic research in the field of human development, inclusive growth, poverty and in-equity, development economics, labor and social security, social sector budgetary analysis, micro-impact of economic reforms, food policy and nutrition. He has executed large scale repre-sentative sample surveys on behalf of Indian Planning Commis-sion and the United Nations System in India. He has authored/edited over a dozen books published mostly from the Oxford University press. he is the author of ‘iNdia: human develop-ment Report, 1999, first such report for India, New Delhi: Ox-ford University Press, pp.i-xiii and 1-370. Has published over 50

articles in refereed journals of international repute.

Dr. Shariff is a member of many academic and policy committees, most recent are:

· Chairperson: sub-group on ”innovative research methods to assess Equity, Inclusiveness and Efficacy of the MG-NRE-ga”, ministry of rural development, government of india. since march 2010

· Member: advisory sub-group of the National advisory Council; “Communal and Sectarian Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation Bill”. Since June 2010

· Member (2009-10): Committee for ‘Consultations on the Situation in Andhra Pradesh’, Ministry of Home Affairs, Gov-ernment of india.

· Secretary-Member (2004-2006): The prime minister’s High Level Committee, New Delhi: Cabinet Secretariat, Gov-ernment of india.

· Member (2006-11): assessment and monitoring author-ity, Indian Planning Commission - review of Government’s developmental and safety Net program.

· Member (2009-11): Assessing the Efficiency of ‘Conditional Cash Transfers’ in India, United National Development Pro-gram, New delhi

· Member (2010): Advisory Committee, ‘Innovation sup-port for Social Protection’ Indian Planning Commission and UNdp, New delhi.

· Elected Member (2007): India International Centre, New Delhi

· Elected Member (2007): University Court of the Aligadh Central University, Aligadh, India

Dr. Abusaleh Shariff Executive Director/Chief Scholar

Dr. Shariff was selected as one of the India Today Magazine’s “Faces of millennium” (Economist) in January 2000 issue. He is among the 25 individuals identified in the Outlook Magazines’ Alternative Power List (23rd April, 2007 issue) as a recognition of his ability to influence public policy in India. He is a panelists on various Indian TV channels and has been interviewed and quoted in magazines such as the New York Times, The Economist, Financial Times of London, La Monde, Paris, Washington Post, India Today, Outlook, Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Business Line, Economic Times and many others. He was a member of the award selection committee of the Global Development Network in its annual meetings held in Senegal in 2006. He has addressed professional bodies such as the Annual Global Development Conference at Dakar, the Global Forum for Health Research in Mexico City, World Health Organization at Geneva, UN Headquarters in New York, the World Bank Headquarters at the Washington DC, Harvard University, Duke University, Cambridge University, Oxford University, University of Maryland at Col-lege Park, London School of Economics, and many other universities both in India and abroad.

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• In large democratic societies, the Policy Institutes are dominant actors and catalytic agents enhancing the ef-fects of policies, improve transparency and ensure that the benefits reach out to all citizens especially to the deprived in diverse and pluralistic societies.

• Nations and economies often need major policy initia-tives or shifts which can become effective only through definitive formulations and deliberate programmatic ef-forts. many a times, such initiatives are chartered by dedi-cated teams of subject matter experts that are mandated to layout policy options and alternatives which have high probability of successes. Large organizations, corporate and governments rely on ‘Policy Institutes’ or ‘Think Tanks’ which develop policy options for discussions, de-bates, draft laws, devise programs for implementation and identify funding and finances. • Policy Institutes are the bridges between the pool of the expert knowledge and the power nucleus. The Policy Insti-tutes filter and synthesize large body of knowledge so as to design policy solutions, facilitate evidenced based policy

making and help policy implementation. They are also ef-fective mechanism to trace feedback from the ground and assess the impact of the policy implementation. Weather the impact is beneficial for the intended population, is im-portant information that Policy Institutes gauge and offer alternatives or adjustments that are needed.

Policy Institutes-Catalytic Agents

Think tanks operating

• Worldwide: ............................ 6,545• USA: ......................................... 1,815• China: ......................................... 425• India: .......................................... 292

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”– Lao-tzu

Non-Resident Indian Think Tanks?

Washington D.C., USA1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036 Phone: 202-688-1947 • Fax: 202-688-1947Email: info@usindiapolicy.org • Web: www.usindiapolicy.org