M’laya Legislative Research Fellowship inductees provided evidence-based research and policy support to legislators
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 25: The Bharti Institute of Public Policy, at the Indian School of Business, has formally inducted the second cohort of the fellows of the Meghalaya Legislative Research Fellowship (MLRF) with a three-day workshop, which culminated here on March 22.
Organised in collaboration with the Meghalaya Institute of Governance (MIG), the induction oriented the 12 selected fellows towards providing evidence-based research assistance and policy support to the legislators of Meghalaya.
According to a statement here, introductory training sessions were held on data analysis as part of the three-day workshop. “Group exercises utilised the India Data Portal and the Meghalaya Data Portal, thus equipping the new cohort with foundational skills. Further, the workshop offered insights into constituency-related tasks and outlined the project’s trajectory in the future,” it said.
As part of the programme, the new cohort was engaged in a dialogue with Chief Secretary DP Wahlang to delve into the progress and prospects of the fellowship project.
Also part of the discussions were Bharti Institute representatives, including Associate Director Deepti Soni; Head of Project Management Unit Saubhagya Samal; Project Lead, India Data Portal, Amrita Chakraborty; State Coordinator Murchana Hazarika; and MIG Director Aibanshngain Swer.
“As we welcome the second cohort of fellows, we reaffirm our commitment to nurturing a new generation of leaders equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate the complexities of governance. Together with the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business, we embark on a journey towards empowering our region through informed evidence-based policymaking and inclusive governance,” Swer said.
The team, along with the fellows, also met with the Principal Secretary & Development Commissioner, Sampath Kumar, to deliberate over the Fellowship’s forthcoming initiatives.
Meanwhile, speaking about the fellowship, Associate Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business, Deepti Soni, who led the team for the workshop, said, “The MLRF is a unique programme which was introduced in 2021 by the Government of Meghalaya in synergy with the Bharti Institute of Public Policy. Onboarding of the second cohort is a furtherance of the success of the first cohort of the programme and a testament to the value that this collaboration brings to evidence-based policymaking in the state.”