Mumbai: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has launched the Viksit Bharat Vichar Kendra (VBVK), an interdisciplinary think tank aimed at strengthening policy research and academic engagement around India’s development goals under Viksit Bharat.Set up as a five-year institutional initiative, this centre will bring together academics, researchers, policymakers, civil society organisations, industry representatives and students to work on issues ranging from social policy and governance to livelihoods, health, education, climate resilience, gender justice, urban and rural development and digital transformation.Among its key programmes will be policy reviews and analysis, the Viksit Bharat Chair Professors and Fellows Programme, seminars and symposia under the theme ‘Knowing India’, public lectures and dialogues, and the publication of policy briefs, working papers and annual development reviews.TISS has also instituted a Viksit Bharat fellows programme under the initiative. “The programme will bring distinguished chair professors, mid-career professionals and young researchers to the institute to undertake interdisciplinary research, mentor students and contribute to policy discussions,” said TISS VC Badri Narayan Tiwari.The Kendra will also undertake research linked to the Viksit Maharashtra 2047 agenda and expand its regional engagement through the TISS campuses in Hyderabad and Guwahati. He said, “The centre’s interdisciplinary structure would allow academics to work closely with government institutions, industry, civil society and practitioners and translate research into policy inputs.”
