Different mandate\, same goals: New Dialogue Commission V-C

Different mandate, same goals: New Dialogue Commission V-C

Jasmine Shah, a Nehru Fulbright Scholar, said though the DDC’s broad vision remains the same, it has a different mandate now, compared to when it was set up in 2015, when the AAP had come to power.

Written by Sourav Roy Barman | New Delhi | Published: October 30, 2018 1:56:50 am
Different mandate, same goals: New Dialogue Commission V-C Post the SC verdict in July, the chances of the DDC impacting policies have risen : Shah

With the AAP government exercising greater control over administration after the July 4 Supreme Court verdict, the possibility of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) impacting policies are higher, the newly-appointed vice-chairperson of the advisory body, Jasmine Shah, said Monday.

Shah, a Nehru Fulbright Scholar, said though the DDC’s broad vision remains the same, it has a different mandate now, compared to when it was set up in 2015, when the AAP had come to power. The commission’s approach will have to be “sharper and more focused”, he said.

“There has been a partial restoration of power to the elected government. Its executive powers have certainly increased. The DDC was and will continue to remain an advisory body. As the government now has greater control over the implementing machinery, the likelihood of DDC positively impacting policies is higher. We are optimistic about what the DDC can achieve,” Shah told The Indian Express.

Working with Bengaluru-based NGO Janaagraha, he conceived the ‘Jaago Re’ voter awareness campaign and later worked with the MIT J-PAL poverty lab. More recently, Shah has been advisor to Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot. He also conceptualised the ‘Outcome Budget’ initiative.

The Delhi Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, appointed Shah to the commission Monday, ending a period of uncertainty that had followed after Ashish Khetan’s resignation as its V-C. Kejriwal is the DDC chairman, which can have a maximum of 10 members.

During Khetan’s tenure, the commission had formed around 21 task forces to work in areas ranging from WiFi to Yamuna. On the possibility of reviving them, Shah said, “DDC now has a different mandate… But the broad goals remain the same.”

He added that the commission will engage experts from outside on priority areas including pollution, transport, education, health and power.

“Public policy decides the most efficient way of spending taxpayers’ money for people’s welfare. For instance, politics helps decide the broad priorities. A government may decide to spend a certain amount on education. Public policy can help make a choice between spending that money on distributing laptops or on remedial education to improve learning outcomes,” he said.