SHILLONG, Jan 12: With an aim to facilitate support for research and data analysis for legislators, the Indian School of Business (ISB) joined hands with Meghalaya government to organise a five-day orientation and training programme.
The Meghalaya Legislative Research Fellowship (MLRF) programme is a one-of-its-kind initiative where the country’s premier business and research institute has collaborated with a Northeastern state for the maiden cohort of legislative fellows.
The inaugural programme of the five-day workshop was held at Meghalaya Administrative Training Research Institute on January 1 and was presided over by Principal Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya and Director General, Meghalaya Institute of Governance (the nodal agency for MLRF), Sampath Kumar along with Project Leads Aiban Swer and Stephen Anurag P.
Speaking about the workshop’s features, Associate Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Dr Aarushi Jain said, “Intensive training in political science, public policy, public administration, international affairs coupled with research methodologies, governance and public management will be facilitated through multiple workshops across the fellowship period, supplemented by various expert sessions.”
Notably, the five-day training workshop will focus on the understanding of public policy and governance issues in general; and legislative, legal, socio-economic and implementation issues in Meghalaya, particularly.
The fellows are being trained and mentored through a structured two-year programme by the Bharti Institute Public Policy. Under MLRF, the fellows will work in close coordination with selected legislators of the Meghalaya State Legislative Assembly and agencies of the Government of Meghalaya, providing research inputs and evidence-based policy insights in legislative, procedural or other anticipated issues of interests in the Assembly.
After the first week of orientation and training, the fellows will begin to interact with various stakeholders within the different structures of the government.
A weekly deliverable plan would be shared with the fellows and followed up by ISB, she added.