By TCN News
North America is home to more than 29 percent thinktanks in the world and a bulk of them is located in Washington, DC. While these think tanks are focused on a wide variety of issues, they play a vital role in shaping policy at the national and international level. Increasingly thinktanks have evolved beyond research institutes and have increased their focuses to communications and advocacy to exert great influence on public policy.
One such thinktank is the US India Policy Institute (USIPI) providing research and policy options focused on helping the poor and vulnerable groups in India. USIPI is a community supported non-profit organization founded and funded by Indian Americans committed to promoting the common ideals of democracy, development and diversity between US and India. Apart from its evidence based policy research, USIPI engages policy makers, community leaders and NGO’s in arriving at solutions for inclusive development in India.
The Chief Scholar of US India Policy Institute, Dr. Abusaleh Shariff is currently visiting India and is actively engaging academics and experts around USIPI’s research findings. In April 2016, Oxford University Press published the book “Institutionalizing Constitutional Rights: Post-Sachar Committee Scenario by Dr. AbusalehShariff”. The book was released in New Delhi by the Vice President of India, Janab Hamid Ansari Sahab in New Delhi. Speaking on the research, Vice President had said “…this is an important work of research and analysis, aimed at increasing socio-economic inclusion and participatory decision-making at grassroots level”.
The book was also discussed at a Round Table organized in New Delhi and attended by prominent experts from Jawaharlal National University, Aligarh Muslim University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Yale Law School, USA and Oxford University, UK. The event was also attended by former Cabinet Minister, Mr. Salman Khurshid; Member of Parliament, Mr. Husain Dalwai and the National Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party Mr. G. V. L. Narashimaha Rao.
The Oxford published book is the culmination of 4 years of research by US India Policy Institute and its Chief Scholar Dr. Abusaleh Shariff. It identifies policies and institutions required for ensuring the equality of opportunity for all Indian citizens specially minorities. It provides the only critical analysis of central and state government’s policy response to the Sachar Committee Report from a professional viewpoint. It focuses on the Muslim community making recommendations for more inclusive development and improving the process to bring them into the national mainstream.
Vice President of India Hamid Ansari Releasing the Book
From left-to-right: Rasheed Ahmed, President, USIPI; Mr. R. Sudarshan, Dean, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy; Dr. AbusalehShariff , Chief Scholar, USIPI; Mr. Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India; Lt. Gen. ZameerUddin Shah, Vice-Chancellor Aligarh Muslim University; Mr.Faizan Mustafa, Vice-Chancellor of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad; Mrs.SabihaZameer Uddin Shah