ISPP PDM Programme is holistic: Amarjeet Sinha

Amarjeet Sinha, former Advisor to the Prime Minister delivered the inaugural address at the ISPP Orientation

61 Scholars including 32 women in ISPP’s 4th batch – Class of 2023

New Delhi: Setting up the cornerstone for the year 2022-23, the Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP) began its week-long Orientation for the Class of 2023 on 1st August. The Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy, Design & Management (PDM), a one-year Programme, formally begins on August 6th, 2022, at the New Delhi campus.

Former Advisor to the Prime Minister and noted Public Policy Practitioner and author Amarjeet Sinha delivered the commencement speech.

In an insightful address, Mr. Sinha emphasised the significance of community-driven social development as a sure-shot way to bring about impactful changes. “Think of public policy practice as plumbing. Identifying the issues and rectifying them on a local level is what makes A policy practitioner’s efforts a success,” he said. Praising ISPP’s PDM Programme, he placed hopes for a better future with young policy leaders in the making. “I wish there were courses such as this when I was a student,” Mr. Sinha added. After an engaging question-answer round, he wished ISPP Scholars the best for their journey ahead.

The founding Dean, ISPP, Dr. Shubhashis Gangopadhyay presided over the Orientation. He engaged the cohort with his trademark wit as he talked about public policy and what it means to be a policy thinker. In a follow-up session, Dr. Gangopadhyay gave an overview of ISPP’s theme of SPELL (Skill, Political Economy, Ethics, Leadership, and Lifelong Learning) curriculum and pedagogy that the School follows.

Co-founder & Director, ISPP Dr. Parth J. Shah, held an interactive session as he nudged the Scholars to think critically. “You will not just learn about public policy in one year at ISPP, but also about ramifications of even good intentioned policies and unintended outcomes,” Dr. Shah said. He also took the Scholars through the story of ISPP, beginning in 2018 when the School was just a seed of an idea… the idea was to democratise public policy education and training as well as build state capacity, with Indian solutions for Indian challenges. Dr. Shah described the ISPP Oath for Policy Practitioners.

The 61 Scholars from the 4th batch, in the Class of 2023 come from 18 Indian States and share one common passion: of bringing the ‘public’ back into public policy. For the second consecutive year, there are more women Scholars than men.

Sharing a collective experience of their first week at ISPP, Aditya Sinha from the Class of 2023 said, “The Orientation has given us a glimpse of what we can expect in the coming 12 months. ISPP is bringing not only world-class education to India but also ushering us into an age of specialisation. We get to have lunch with CEOs and Presidents of think tanks, share views with policy stalwarts, and have reflective sessions with the ISPP Leadership. I am really excited by the wealth of education, experience, opportunities, and networking that lies ahead.”

The guest speakers included Dr. Sekhar Bonu, DG, DMEO-NITI Aayog; Mr. Rakesh Ranjan, Mission Director, Aspirational Districts; Ms. Karuna Gopal, Head of Policy, BJP Women’s Wing; Ms. Vini Mahajan, Secretary, Jal Jeevan Mission, Government of India; and Ms. Yamini Aiyar, President, Centre for Policy Research.

The Class was also introduced to faculty members during the Orientation week including award-winning industrial designer Amit Krishn Gulati, noted Political Commentator & Policy Analyst Sanjaya Baru; Dr. NC Saxena, former Secretary, Planning Commission, Government of India, among others.

With a 100% placement record for the three earlier batches of 110 Scholars, the Careers Support team along with ISPP founding batch alumni Himanshu Burad and Prachee Mishra introduced the Class to prospective career options.

To know more about the Indian School of Public Policy, visit ISPP Website: www.ispp.org.in