The eighth batch of the flagship programme of the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, the Advanced Management Programme in Public Policy (AMPPP), was formally launched by the hon’ble Minister for IT, Industries and Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Government of Telangana, Shri KT Rama Rao, at the Mohali campus of the Indian Business School.

The hon’ble minister was accompanied by Shri G Ranjith Reddy, Hon'ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha). Sharing his insights with the participants of AMPPP, he emphasised the need to promote innovation, infrastructure, and inclusive growth across the states. He said, “India possesses immense strength, and when tapped into correctly, the country can emerge as a global leader.”

Shri Rao shared his experiences as a student in the USA and his time in different parts of the world, which shaped his ideas. He informed the gathering about how Telangana, being the youngest state of India, has achieved a stellar record across diverse fields such as Pharmaceuticals, Information Technology, Agriculture, Higher Education, and Infrastructure, etc. He shared his government’s vision to focus on three ‘I’s – infrastructure, innovation and inclusiveness that helped the state to usher in a new era of development. He also elaborated upon how the vision of the political class can help transform other states of India by utilising available resources optimally.

The first residency of Cohort 2023-24 of the Advanced Management Programme in Public Policy was held from 11th August to 21st August 2023 at ISB’s Mohali Campus. Shri KT Rama Rao, the Hon’ble Minister for IT, Industries and Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Government of Telangana, addressed the cohort and formally inaugurated the programme.

Guest Speaker Sessions by:

• August 13: Dr Pushpinder Puniha, Financial Advisor to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in his covered session on collaborative governance and its role in policy formulation. navigated through the nuances of collaborative governance, demonstrating how effective partnerships and coordinated efforts between various stakeholders can lead to more efficient and equitable outcomes. He shared the Green Revolution story, where different stakeholders, from the government to farmers came together to make it a success. Citing examples of NPAs (non-performing assets), self-assessment tax default, smart cities, IPL, NBA and EPL, Dr Puniha explained how collaborative approaches can lead to more sustainable solutions in the realm of public policy and administration.
• August 19:  Dr Shailendra Joshi, former Chief Secretary and former Advisor to the Government of Telangana started his session with an introduction to the book ‘Reflections on India’s Public Policy’ and its 10 co-authors, who incidentally are his batchmates from the IAS 1984 batch. Dr Joshi threw light on different aspects of inter-governmental cooperation while formulating policies. A substantive part of the lecture was on the importance of good public expenditure and its intricacies with public policy. During his session, he focused on the importance of people centric governance and the need for the public institutions to overcome their inertia to be future ready.
• August 20: Dr Mukesh Jain, Special DGP (Training), Police Headquarters, Bhopal started his session on the ‘Science of Happiness’ by explaining the philosophical underpinnings of happiness and how certain mental barriers stops us from achieving it. Dr Jain threw light on positive happiness and the positive psychology research.  He discussed the human capacity to bring back positive memories to make us happy. Dr Jain also explained how positive emotions impact human performance and how it is contagious. Towards the end of his session, he discussed various external factors and their influences on our hormones which impact our mood. Dr Jain also explained to the class the importance of ‘echo point’- the fact life reverberates what we feel.