Completed Projects

Manifesting its commitment to promoting evidence-based policymaking into a tangible interface, the Bharti Institute of Public Policy at the Indian School of Business launched the India Data Portal. This project was awarded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is a groundbreaking initiative that not only provides open access to datasets but is also equipped with cutting-edge technology to visualise them in a matter of clicks. The IDP has pioneered the “visualisation first approach,” facilitating data exploration through graphical depictions.

The portal underwent a paradigm shift in October 2023 with the launch of its 2.0 version, which provides access to over 3,400 indicators from more than 120 datasets across 25 diverse domains. The portal also has a unique feature enabling individuals to upload their own data for visualisation. India Data Portal is available as an e-library resource across 18 IIMs, XLRI, IIT Madras ( ranked 1, among the research institutes), Indian Statistical Institute, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Madras School of Economics, IIFT, BITS PILANI, besides over 10 IITs & NITs, IGIDR, TISS, TERI, Mumbai University, University of Hyderabad and more than 60 top tier NIRF ranked institutions in the country. In a first global collaboration, the India Data Portal is also available at the Oxford Library, as an e-library resource.

The Bharti Institute of Public Policy undertook the financial inclusion project as a part of the India Data Portal (IDP) supplementary grant to propagate the portal’s usability in the financial inclusion ecosystem and exhibit its potential for creating awareness of the platform amongst key stakeholders, such as government institutions, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), credit bureaus, banking correspondent aggregators, think tanks, private research firms, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s (BMGF) partner network. This programme was enabled by the most updated data available on the financial inclusion ecosystem on the India Data Portal.

In collaboration with the Bharti Institute of Public Policy at the Indian School of Business, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) led the project “Institutional Networks and Self-Organised Adaptation: Tracing the Democratic Architectures of Climate Response,” funded by the Swedish Research Council from 2019 to 2021.

The project investigated the influence of political institutions on the climate adaptation responses of vulnerable communities residing in risky terrains, such as the Himalayan regions of Nepal and India. Through extensive data collection across four such sites—Ramechhap and Kavrepalanchok in Nepal, Kangra and Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, India, the project answered four pertinent questions: The portfolios of climate risks that different households face; the political channels through which citizens seek support for climate threats; the networks of interactions through which state responses are developed; and the recursive effects of these responses on households' experiences of climate risk.

The project was launched in June 2018. The team of the Bharti Institute of Public Policy worked on Doubling Farmers’ Income (DFI). This project identified policy interventions that could be used to double farmers income by strengthening market linkages and proposing policy prescriptions. A multitude of data analysis was undertaken to form a detailed understanding, using statistical tools, visualisation of data at spatial level by using GIS and infographics on the household and crop level of the Indian districts.

• JumpStartIndia@ISB is a unique initiative by Indian School of Business to help power India’s post-COVID19 economic recovery. This initiative aimed to harness the expertise and experience of ISB’s students, coupled with the intellectual leadership of its faculty, into projects to address challenges of national significance. In its initial phase, it focused on:
• Food and Agriculture
• Informal Economy
• Boosting the Economy
• Real Time Indices of Economic Activity
• Transportation, Logistics, and Mobility
• Healthcare
• Institutionalising Remote Work
• Monitoring Corporate Health

As part of the JSI Projects, Bharti Institute worked closely with six state governments and signed MoUs with Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.

JSI ENGAGEMENT IN HIMACHAL PRADESH:

PULSE PROJECT: In order to help the state government, reach the last mile, Pulse, an advanced data analytics application, used real-time digital data on citizen interactions with government programmes and systems.

EMPLOYMENT MARKETPLACE FOR INFORMAL SECTOR: Created a marketplace that connects employers and job seekers across all occupations listed under the National Classification of Occupations (NCO). Further, developed a sector-wise Skill-Competency Matrix to help identify and enable targeted capacity building interventions for specific skill groups that are crucial for the economy.

FOREST BASED/HERBAL ECONOMY:  Extended assistance to add value in branding and marketing of production from rural clusters including online platform across the state.

RESTRATEGISING THE TOURISM POLICY: The study focused on medium to long-term imperatives for the government designed around ensuring hygiene and safety, and some fiscal stimulus packages to ensure economic impact is reduced. The study also looked at the existing models of tourism in the state and suggested ways to re-look and restrategise the tourism policy with a long-term sustainability perspective.

 JSI ENGAGEMENT IN ANDHRA PRADESH:

PULSE PROJECT: To help the state government reach the last mile, Pulse, an advanced data analytics application, used real-time digital data on citizen interactions with government programmes and systems.

ATTRACTING INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENTS: To identify unique investment opportunities in manufacturing across industries, as part of the project, various parameters (infrastructure, natural resources, financing etc.) which are primary drivers to establishing manufacturing in that region were identified and analysed.

EMPLOYMENT MARKETPLACE FOR INFORMAL SECTOR: Created a marketplace that connects employers and job seekers across all occupations listed under the National Classification of Occupations (NCO). Further, developed a sector-wise Skill-Competency Matrix to help identify and enable targeted capacity building interventions for specific skill groups that are crucial for the economy.

HIGH-FREQUENCY HIGH-RESOLUTION INDICATORS FOR MONITORING ECONOMIC RECOVERY: Established a mechanism to monitor progress in the short term through a series of high-frequency and high-spatial resolution indicators to informed decision-making and responding to opportunities. Significant progress has been made in compiling several indicators of economic activity at a daily resolution at the national level – fertilizer sales, electricity demand, agriculture sales transactions, digital payments, NREGA demand, Aadhaar authentications, and air quality indicators. Visit: www.indiadataportal.com/jsi for HFI.

JSI ENGAGEMENT IN TAMIL NADU:

ATTRACTING INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENTS: To identify unique investment opportunities in manufacturing across industries, as part of the project, various parameters (infrastructure, natural resources, financing etc.) which are primary drivers to establishing manufacturing in that region were identified and analysed.

EMPLOYMENT MARKETPLACE FOR INFORMAL SECTOR: Created a marketplace that connects employers and job seekers across all occupations listed under the National Classification of Occupations (NCO). Further, developed a sector-wise Skill-Competency Matrix to help identify and enable targeted capacity building interventions for specific skill groups that are crucial for the economy.

HIGH-FREQUENCY HIGH-RESOLUTION INDICATORS FOR MONITORING ECONOMIC RECOVERY: Established a mechanism to monitor progress in the short term through a series of high-frequency and high-spatial resolution indicators to informed decision-making and responding to opportunities. Significant progress has been made in compiling several indicators of economic activity at a daily resolution at the national level – fertilizer sales, electricity demand, agriculture sales transactions, digital payments, NREGA demand, Aadhaar authentications, and air quality indicators. Visit: www.indiadataportal.com/jsi for HFI.

JSI ENGAGEMENT IN JHARKHAND:

FOREST BASED/HERBAL ECONOMY: Livelihood of a substantial proportion of the rural population in several Indian states critically depends on the sale of produce they directly collect from the forests. Extended assistance to add value in branding and marketing of production from rural clusters including online platform across the state.

JSI ENGAGEMENT IN PUNJAB:

IMPROVING GOVERNANCE AND CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN URBAN INDIA: The Department of Governance Reforms and Public Grievances (DGRPG), Punjab manages Sewa Kendras, service kiosks that act as a bridge between the citizen and the state. The project involved understanding process details of Sewa Kendra operations, analysing data on services delivered at these Sewa Kendras, and recommending ways to improve service delivery and citizen engagement.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE PROJECTS: As part of this, analysis of paddy procurement operations in Kharif season and analysis of wheat procurement in Rabi season was provided along with lessons for future.

EDUCATION SECTOR PROJECTS: To support the government in their efforts to reach students through technology and motivate them to continue their school education through digital content, two projects were proposed to the state government–the mentorship programme and the process re-engineering in the School Education Department, Punjab.

JSI ENGAGEMENT IN TELANGANA:

HANDLOOM SECTOR PROJECTS: As part of the project, evaluation of the implementation and performance of state-run policies for weaving communities in Telangana was done. Secondly, gaps were identified and analysed in the product marketing and distribution network and followed by development of solutions/strategies to address the identified gaps.

BRANDING AND MARKETING STRATEGY FOR TELANGANA SONA: Given the health benefits of the new paddy variety and the push by government to expand cultivation, the need of proper branding and marketing for the Telangana Sona rice was felt which could be expanded all over India and possibly other countries where rice is a staple cereal.  

The datasets on high-frequency high-resolution indicators for monitoring India’s economic recovery were launched on 13 August 2020. The high-frequency indicators (HFI) are available on https://indiadataportal.com/jsi. The Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP) under the aegis of its project JumpStartIndia@ISB monitored post-COVID economic recovery and established a mechanism to monitor progress in the short term through a series of high-frequency and high-spatial resolution indicators to inform decision-making and responding to new and emerging opportunities.

• The portal brought together several HFIs of India’s economic recovery to a common platform to enable a meaningful and real-time analysis of patterns of economic recovery.
• The portal provided journalists, citizens, and policymakers direct visual insights into important indicators at daily or monthly frequency in near-real-time and at district or state-level.
• The HFIs provide a range of data on multiple aspects of the economy, including fertilizer sales, trade in agricultural commodities, registration of new businesses, registration of different types of vehicles, digital transactions and payments, and demand for wage labour under MGNREGA.
• The HFIs for JumpStartIndia@ISB initiative are hosted on the India Data Portal -a one-stop open-access portal for journalists and citizens to access, interact with, and visualise public data related to agriculture and financial inclusion, in addition to other domains of national interest. India Data Portal brings this data on a common portal which allows ease of access and comparison.

Indian School of Business in collaboration with the Department of School Education, Punjab, under the Jump Start India (JSI) initiative started the Mentorship based initiative for five meritorious schools based in Punjab with one each in Patiala, Jalandhar, Mohali, Gurdaspur, and Amritsar districts, in December 2020. 

• The project evaluated the effectiveness of a mentorship-based model in improving the student engagement and enhance motivation on a randomly selected set of students from 12th standard who are at a critical stage in their careers and yet are at a high risk of dropping out of education system altogether, if not engaged in a meaningful way. 

In the year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the global economy. However, online retailers leveraged this situation and tapped into the on-demand delivery platforms to optimise their business and adapt to this ‘new normal’. Bharti Institute of Public Policy collaborated with Amazon India to conduct a research study on the role of E-commerce in India’s growth and economic recovery, providing policy recommendations on how E-commerce industry can lead to economic growth of the MSME industry. The study adopted the following approaches:

• Research on the role of E-commerce in India’s growth and economic recovery
• Analysis of the draft E-commerce policy by DPIIT
• Comparison of Ecommerce policies of other countries
• Roundtable on India’s E-commerce policy with groups like MSME business, retailers, government representatives, civil society, think tanks, etc.

The second phase of Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) project was launched on April 1, 2019 with the aim to strengthen evidence supporting effective community-driven forest landscape restoration and its linkages with formal and customary rights. The study was a part of a larger research programme to expand existing knowledge on restoration, land and forest rights and climate change in to understand the role that communities play in FLR and the large climate change discourse.

Objectives of the project:

• Assess the risks posed by existing or proposed FLR initiatives which don’t effectively address the rights of IPs and local communities.
• Combine the evidence to make a strong case of incorporating forest and land rights as a core strategy of FLR and highlight best practices.
• Better inform policy makers and climate finance community on the importance of tenure security for the sequestration of carbon and achieving sustainable development goals through FLR.
• Categorize countries/ regions based on demographic, political and socio-economic attributes and provide a guidance mechanism to determine priorities for FLR investments to maximize social and ecological benefits.

Bharti Institute of Public Policy had undertaken the agroforestry project in an agreement with The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), Kenya. The primary goal was to develop a data visualization tool that will help harness the potential of trees on farms to meet biodiversity targets. Termed the ‘Trees on Farms for Biodiversity’, the project was launched in March 2019.

This project had two main goals :

• Data Visualization : Develop an online interactive data visualization tool that will help collect, manage and share key facts and evidences in relation to agroforestry.
• Manage Visualization : Populate, manage and share the visualization of numerical facts and evidences with key stakeholders.

• The Bharti Institute worked for the Department of Water Supply & Sanitation (DWSS) Govt. of Punjab. 
• A study on the Techno-Economic aspects was completed to recommend the best and cost-effective Water Metering System to be installed in Large Surface Water Supply Scheme at Moga, Punjab. The draft report was been submitted.

• The team at the Bharti Institute of Public Policy worked on the Finance Commission, Government of India on “Evaluation of State Finances of Punjab”, and “Evaluation of State Finances of Telangana”.
• The draft report containing recommendations to improve financial performance of the States was submitted respectively.

The Objective:

• To secure future of clean energy in India by aiding the design & Implementation of policies that encourage energy efficiency & renewable resources

This research project is on health and agricultural impacts of coal-fired power plants in India. This project is funded by the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, and a collaboration between Bharti Institute, Climate Policy Initiative, and SSEF. This has the approval of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (without funding). This was approved in June 2016.

• Commonwealth Secretariat Case Study on UPSC:  Public  Sector Governance Unit, Commonwealth Secretariat, awarded Professor Prajapati Trivedi a consultancy to write a case study on the Union Public Service Commission of India. (new project)
• The case study is completed and submitted to Commonwealth Secretariat Case Study.

• CSF is funding work on following two initiatives – Quality of Education Management Index (QEMI) and Education Management and Accountability Toolkit (EMAT).
• QEMI is intended to be a ‘leading’ indicator of quality of management of school education system in the State.
• EMAT is envisaged to be a toolkit for State Governments to improve the performance of their School Education Departments.

• The objective of the project was to identify the potential of cold supply chain in Fruits-and-Vegetable distribution in India
• The project analyzed  the ‘Potential of cold-chain for Fruit-and- Vegetable Distribution in India’ with a case study on a particular supply chain for 'kinnow' fruit. The data (costs and revenues) for the supply chain was collected and the profitability was calculated for all stakeholders investing in cold chain. The impact of food wastage and carbon in the supply chain was also studied.

• The objective of the book would be to give the reader a coherent, wholesome view of all important aspects related to the past, present and future of coal in India.
• The book would focus on the unique account of the management of coal resources in India. Citing interviews, cases and intriguing data, the book will scrutinize policy decisions that have led to the virtual stagnation of the coal industry, along with critical shortages and the Supreme Court’s reprimand. More specifically, the book will carefully examine the process followed for allocation of denationalized coal blocks, the effects of this allocation, and also the retention of Coal India’s monopoly of majority of coal resources.

• Rights and Resources Group and the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business (ISB) are collaborating on the project Forest Tenure Security Index, under the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). 
• The objective of the project is to develop a comparative index of forest tenure security. Dr. Ashwini Chhatre, as the lead of this project for the Indian School of Business, will evaluate the data sources and potential indicators, and conduct expert consultations in order to develop a robust framework for assessing tenure security across countries.
• The Tenure Security Index will first be piloted using data from all states in India. It is also intended that the framework of the Forest Tenure Security Index will be applied to three additional countries.

• To launch a Mission to assist DCI with the finalization of their KPIs for the year 2016-17
• This is a preliminary scoping mission and its primary objective is to understand the requirements of the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) with regard to the technical support required to support their on-going efforts to develop a truly world-class system of KPIs.

• Development of training modules on various themes of governance and capacity building of the faculty of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) and the National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR).
• This project will be done in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of India.

• The Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business developed a framework analyzing government interventions in food economy with a special focus on, (i) steadily rising MSP for cereals, (ii) burgeoning buffer stocks for cereals, (iii) persistent food inflation and (iv) increasing food subsidies.
• The project was commissioned by the Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India

• The briefs describe the key policies and legislation on the subject, provide an overview of the relevant public debates and parliamentary action.
• The team prepared internal briefs and policy briefs (for policy-makers) focusing on education, child labour, child marriage, malnutrition and sanitation.

• The Government of India launched the RMSA in March 2009 with the objective of enhancing access to secondary education (Class 9th and 10th) and improving the quality. Some of the important quality improvement interventions provided under the scheme are: (a) appointment of additional teachers; (b) focus on Science, Math and English education; (c) in-service training of teachers; (d) science laboratories; (e) ICT enabled education; (f) curriculum reforms; and (g) teaching learning reforms.
• The World Bank is supporting the Government of India in implementing the RMSA. In order to understand the challenges of implementing RMSA, the World Bank plans to undertake a set of studies that will examine issues which have direct import on the objectives of the government for RMSA.
• The Bharti Institute of Public Policy has been assigned to undertake a study to examine teacher recruitment and education policies of states and Union Territories.

• UNICEF India has identified advocacy as a key strategy to influence and leverage government resources and align government policies and other stakeholders towards its core priorities - nutrition, child survival, child marriage and labour, sanitation and education.  UNICEF seeks to engage with elected representatives in focused manner so that it is able to achieve its aim of influencing policies, laws, programmes and resource allocation in support of the rights of women and children and to accelerate achievement towards the Millennium Development Goals.
• The Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business would support the activities of UNICEF by preparation of internal briefs and Policy Briefs on key issues and Tracking of developments in Parliament regarding key UNICEF advocacy issues
• Research study on stakeholder reaction to new policing approach: Bharti Institute has taken up a commissioned research project for the Bureau of Police R&D to study stakeholder reaction to a new approach to policing experimented with in Bihar in controlling a mob situation in the wake of the murder of a caste-militia leader in mid-2012. The research is under progress.

• Research study on understanding stakeholders reaction to police action in violent mob situation
• The project was commissioned by Bureau of Police research Development (BPRD)

• The objective of the project was to assess the effectiveness of outsourcing a key Government service and its effect on the accountability and efficiency of the Police system.
• Bharti Institute has been commissioned to do an evaluation of the 181 helpline service instituted by Punjab Police, Prof. Siddharth Singh is the faculty advisor to the team at the Bharti Institute being led by Sukhmeet Singh.
• Three districts were covered in Sep 2016 for collecting the primary data: Ludhiana, Fathegarh Sahib and Mohali. These primary findings are being analyzed and collated and a draft of the report is being prepared.