Policy in Action – Mumbai 2018

Participating MPs


Deepender Singh Hooda (Lok Sabha)

Mr. Hooda is a three time Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from the Rohtak constituency in Haryana. He is a Whip of the Indian National Congress.

He is a member of the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology, Vice-Chairman of the Indian Red Cross Society, and the Chairperson of the Indo-UK Forum of Parliamentarians. He holds a B.Tech from Birla Institute, MD University, Rohtak and an MBA from Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Before joining politics, he worked with Infosys, Reliance Industries, and American Airlines/Sabre Holdings.

He is currently a member of the Standing Committee on Energy.

K. Kavitha (Lok Sabha)

Ms. Kalvakuntla Kavitha is a Member of Parliament and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party member. She is the first woman parliamentarian from Telangana and represents the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency.

She completed her engineering from VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad and later did her MS in computer sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi. After graduation, she worked as a software engineer in the United States before returning to India to join the Telangana movement. To support the cultural renaissance of Telangana, she also set up Telangana Jagruthi that has now transformed into a strong socio-cultural organization with thousands of dedicated members.

In Parliament, Ms. Kavitha is a member of the Estimates Committee, the Standing Committee on Commerce and the Consultative Committee, Ministry of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Rajeev Gowda (Rajya Sabha)

photograph-of-prof-rajeev-gowda-mpProf. M V Rajeev Gowda was elected to Rajya Sabha in July 2014 from the state of Karnataka. He is a national spokesperson for the Indian National Congress. He was Professor of Economics and Social Sciences and the Chairperson of the Centre for Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bengaluru and taught a range of courses. He has served as a Director of the Central Board, Reserve Bank of India.

Prof. Gowda studied economics and political science at St. Joseph's College where he was elected as the Vice-President of the Student Union in 1982–83. He was awarded the Bangalore University gold medal in political science and secured a fully funded scholarship to pursue Masters in Economics at Fordham University, New York. Prof. Gowda holds a PhD in Public Policy & Management from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He was also a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Law & Economics from University of Berkeley, California.

Prof. Gowda leads ‘Bengaluru Needs You’ (BNY), a citizen movement to involve and empower people to engage with civic authorities to bring positive transformation in the city of Bengaluru.

Rajeev Shankarrao Satav (Lok Sabha)

Mr. Satav is a Member of Parliament from Hingoli in Maharashtra. Prior to being an MP, he was President of the Indian Youth Congress (2010 to 2014), and the President of Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress (2008 to 2010). Currently he is the All India Congress Committee (AICC) In-charge for the State of Gujarat & holds Permanent Invitee status to the Congress Working Committee which is the highest decision-making body of the Indian National Congress (INC).

A three time consecutive winner of the Sansad Ratna Award, an honour given to the top performing Indian MPs, he continues to have an active parliamentary career. He is a member of four Parliamentary committees - the Standing Committee on Railways, the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Land Acquisition Bill, and the Consultative Committee on Youth Affairs & Sports.

Well known for being a voice of reason, and for his youth connect, he received his education from Fergusson College and ILS Law College, Pune.

Supriya Sule (Lok Sabha)

photograph-of-ms-supriya-sule-mpMs. Supriya Sule is a member of the Nationalist Congress Party and currently an MP in Lok Sabha. She has been representing the Baramati constituency of Maharashtra since 2009. Before being elected to the Lok Sabha, she was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2006 to 2009, also from Maharashtra.

Ms. Sule sits on the Standing Committee on External Affairs as well as the Committee on the Empowerment of Women. In 2011, she launched a statewide campaign in Maharashtra against female foeticide. Recently, she has been honoured with "Mumbai Women of the Decade Achievers Award" by ALL Ladies League for her outstanding contribution to social service.

She was educated at Jai Hind College in Mumbai where she earned a B.Sc. degree in Microbiology.

Vikas Mahatme (Rajya Sabha)

Dr. Vikas Mahatme is a Padma Shri awarded Indian ophthalmologist and social entrepreneur. A Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, Dr. Mahatme is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He is the Founder and Medical Director of the Mahatme Eye Bank Eye Hospital in Nagpur which is a recognized postgraduate teaching institute run by the S.M.M. Eye Welfare Charitable Trust. The trust has been the first to start eye hospitals and mobile eye units at several places including Nagpur, Mumbai, Amravati, Gadchiroli, Melghat, Yavatmal, Gondia, Chandrapur, etc.

Dr. Mahatme holds an MBBS degree and a Masters in Surgery from the Govt. Medical College, Nagpur where he also served as a lecturer. He is an eye surgeon of international repute and was awarded the Padma Shri in recognition of his work.

In Parliament, he sits on the committee on Health and Family Welfare and continues to espouse the cause of his home state as well as the Dhangar tribal community to which he belongs.



Live Projects

Our fellows were tasked to work on issues identified by the participating MPs. Below you’ll find a list of the specific projects they worked on.

Project 1: Evolution of India-China economic relations during the UPA and NDA periods

a) Contrast India’s stance towards China by way of major economic policies enacted during the UPA vs NDA tenure and study the relationship with respect to parameters such as the import-export basket, tariff and non-tariff barriers, FDI etc.;
b) Compare the evolution of the India-China relationship with the evolution of India’s relationship with other trading partners during the aforementioned period;
c) Analyze Indo-China trade ties through the prism of diplomatic ventures such as BRICS;
d) Make suitable policy recommendations to strengthen the economic relationship, while preserving the interests of Indian consumers and producers.

Project 2: Feasibility of implementing Universal Basic Income (UBI) in India

a) Critically analyze the Universal Basic Income proposal put forward under the 2017 Economic Survey;
b) Map the major social security schemes run the by central and the state government in Haryana. Identify the profile of the beneficiaries of each scheme (poor, non-poor, or some other classification) as well as the quantum of funds disbursed under each scheme, total and per beneficiary;
c) Study the viability of implementing a UBI solution in Haryana as a substitute to some or all of the above schemes. In particular, consider financial implications and political acceptability as key metrics to evaluate viability. Do the average benefits available to a poor person increase or decrease?
d) Suggest suitable policy recommendations for Haryana on the basis of the above analysis.

Project 3: Curbing air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region

a) Study the issue of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region and identify its major causes;
b) Analyze the impact of poor air quality on economic and social development of the region;
c) Examine the national and regional policy and legislative framework aimed at curbing air pollution, and study the efficacy of the same;
d) Research global best practices for enforcement and compliance in reducing air pollution, and draw recommendations for Delhi.

Project 4: State of policies and funds targeted to serve the elderly population in India

a) Study the evolution of the demographic profile of India. Identify trends in birth and death rates and map the likely increase in ageing population and dependency ratio, by state over the next 2-3 decades;
b) Critically analyze the initiatives currently in place to serve the needs of the ageing and identify shortfalls, if any;
c) Understand the implications of changing economic and social structures for the role of the government in serving the elderly. Draw estimates on the quantum of resources required over the next couple of decades;
d) Undertake a comparative analysis to understand how other countries have dealt with this issue and draw learnings from their successes and failures. Suggest suitable interventions in the Indian context.

Project 5: MSMEs: Impact of Demonetization and GST

a) Undertake an analysis of the impact of demonetization on MSMEs in India, and study its effects by looking at different indicators, including but not limited to the overall growth of the sector, aggregate profits and employment;
b) Through stakeholder consultations and case studies of other countries, analyze the impact of GST on the MSME sector, including new problems that have arisen owing to GST, and draw inferences;
c) Critically analyze the provisions of the proposed MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to see if it will help address some of these issues;
d) Make suitable policy recommendations based on the above.

Project 6: A critical look at the annual budgets of the state of Telangana

a) Study the historical claims/cultural grievances that resulted in the creation of the state of Telangana, as studied by the Committee for Consultations on the Situation in Andhra Pradesh (CCSAP, more colloquially called the Srikrishna Committee on Telangana);
b) Analyze state budget allocations since 2015, along the lines of policies relating to socio-cultural interest groups in the state, such as women, minorities, SC/STs and OBCs, as against the conventional budget heads which are mostly ministry wise;
c) Understand the extent to which the claims of the current government match with its actual performance on the fronts of budget allocations and outcomes for such groups;
d) Based on the above, suggest policy directions to governments/political parties to adequately address the needs and expectations of the people of the state.

Project 7: Agrarian crisis in Maharashtra

a) Study the challenges faced by farmers and the agrarian sector in India, especially Maharashtra;
b) Explore the link between access (or lack thereof) to crop loan waivers and farmer distress (including suicides) in the country, and Maharashtra;
c) Identify major schemes and programs like the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and emerging technologies like cloud-seeding implemented by the government in the agriculture sector, and analyze their impact;
d) Study policies and best practices of other countries to make suitable recommendations based on the above.

Project 8: Analysis of the education system in Gujarat

a) Critically analyze the state of Gujarat’s education system with the help of National Achievement Survey reports, specifically focusing on indicators such as dropout rates, enrolment in secondary education and learning outcomes;
b) Identify other concerns influencing the state of education in Gujarat such as the rise of private schools and issues concerning fee regulation;
c) Analyze policies and best practices of other states and countries for dealing with school dropout, enrolment and learning outcomes;
d) Make suitable policy recommendations that can be adopted by the central government or the state government of Gujarat to address the issue.

Project 9: Financial inclusion as a way to empower women in India

a) Study the current landscape of financial inclusion of women vis-a-vis men in India. Map the various schemes and initiatives aimed at expanding financial inclusion of women and analyze their effectiveness;
b) Analyze the likely effect of other key government initiatives that are not gender specific but may have an impact on financial inclusion of women, such as Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM), promotion of digital payments etc.;
c) Compile and compare indicators of financial inclusion to understand how India fares on the global index;
d) Analyze design and implementation aspects of global interventions in financial inclusion to inform India’s schemes/policies.

Project 10: Maternal health in Maharashtra

a) Study the trends in maternal health indicators in Maharashtra during the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) period 2000-2015;
b) Identify the role played by major public health initiatives (national and regional) in influencing maternal health indicators and discern shortcomings in program design and implementation, if any;
c) Study design and implementation of global interventions which proved successful in achieving corresponding MDG targets; and
d) Suggest interventions based on the above analysis to help Maharashtra achieve its maternal health indicators under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that succeeded the MDGs.

Project 11: Challenges and performance of the Smart Cities Mission

a) Study the Smart Cities Mission and bring out the main features, including prerequisites for being selected as a Smart City under the Mission;
b) Analyze the budgetary allocations and utilisation rate of allocated funds throughout the country;
c) Consult stakeholders and undertake secondary research to study at least one successful and one poor Smart City implementation example. Compare and contrast the two on the basis of mission indicators;
d) Based on global best practices, make recommendations on how the Mission can be strengthened.

Project 12: Fostering socio-emotional intelligence through the school curriculum

a) Evaluate the need to include social-emotional learning (SEL) in the national school curriculum;
b) Study the capacity of the Indian education system – public and private – to deliver SEL. Map out implementation constraints in the Indian context and identify prerequisites for success.
c) Undertake a comparative analysis of such initiatives and their efficacy in other countries;
d) Identify suitable interventions based on the above and carve out principles on the basis of which a law/ policy can be drafted to enable the inclusion of SEL in school curriculum;
e) Prepare advocacy material to build support for SEL.

Project 13: Redefining India’s reservation policy

a) Evaluate the efficacy of the SC/ST and OBC reservation policy in achieving social mobility for the people of backward communities;
b) Assess the feasibility of implementing a weighted index, based on carefully curated socio-economic criteria, to rank individuals to determine their eligibility to access benefits of reservation;
c) Undertake a comparative analysis of similar models from across the world and study Dr. Mahatme’s proposal on the subject and make suitable recommendations;
d) Develop a workable model and draft a Bill to translate it into law.



Class profile


Total class size (Mumbai 2018): 68


Educational background


Age profile