- Leaders from IIM Ahmedabad and JSW Group inaugurate the JSW School of Public Policy’s new state-of-the-art building at IIMA campus
- Designed by renowned architect and educator Rahul Mehrotra, faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
- JSW SPP’s mission is to serve as a forum for education, research, and policy discussions
- Panel discussion on ‘Making Public Policy Education Relevant for India’s Development’ marks the new building inauguration
- Junior Jindal urges corporate India to make Endowment Funds for the country’s educational institutes to make them world-class and par with Harvard University et al
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, FEB 23
Government and bureaucracy’s role is to govern, to regulate the system and not to do business. It is the private sector, not the public sector, that will take India ahead because “ultimately what matters is accountability and profitability”, said JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal.
While pointing out that India is on the path of becoming a USD 10-trillion economy in the next ten years, the country needs to adopt a “modern thought process” which is not driven by socialism or a notion that only the public sector can deliver, he said.
He made the remarks at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) after inaugurating the JSW School of Public Policy’s new building, a state-of-the-art multi-facility centre at IIMA’s new campus.
According to Sajjan Jindal, Chairman of JSW Group, “India’s roadmap to become a US$ 10 trillion economy requires structural collaboration from the public sector, private enterprise as well as Academia. These collaborations are crucial to evolve the next phase of policy reforms and to plan efficiently for the next decade of India’s economic growth. Public policy is the backbone of our society and linked to good governance. Over the last couple of decades, we have witnessed the positive impact of public policy on our society as well as certain challenges. Hence, there is a crucial need to promote Public Policy education in India so that we have a cadre of skilled public policy professionals who can design, implement, and evaluate policies that are effective, efficient, and equitable.”
“The JSW School for Public Policy at IIM Ahmedabad campus has been established to meet this need. Our aim is to create a world-class institution that will foster a new generation of public policy professionals who are knowledgeable, skilled, and ethical. The School will engage with domain experts to identify research gaps and training needs necessary to promote and institutionalize new ideas. We are hopeful that these ideas will empower our future generations to eventually translate the impactful research into world-class innovations leading to policy solutions,” Sajjan Jindal added.
Commenting on the JSW Group’s partnership with IIM Ahmedabad for JSW SPP, Sangita Jindal, Chairperson of JSW Foundation, “Education is the cornerstone of building a better future for our country. JSW Group has been dedicated to promoting education in various forms across the value chain. The partnership with IIM Ahmedabad enables us to deliver focussed Business Management curriculum in Public Policy.”
Professor Arindam Banerjee, Director-in-Charge, IIMA said, “IIMA has a strong legacy of making exceptional contributions to India’s policy making space that have actively shaped the policy-scape of the country. The JSW School was conceptualized to be an influential think tank that can contribute to building this public policy framework for the state and the country.”
Delivering the inauguration speech, Pankaj R Patel, Chairperson, IIMA Board of Governors said, “India has led the way by showing the world how policy innovation through the use of technology, private sector involvement, and community partnerships can be brought about while remaining committed to equity. Just like in business, innovation and disruption is also required in the public policy domain. Public leaders need to experiment with new models of governance and new modes of service delivery. IIMA has been known to create management leaders and it wishes to grow this footprint by shaping a new generation of public leaders. The JSW School of Policy came into being as an outcome of this vision with the support of the JSW Group.”
Panel discussion on ‘Making Public Policy Education Relevant for India’s Development’
The inaugural ceremony was followed by a high-profile panel discussion on ‘Making Public Policy Education Relevant for India’s Development’ with Professor Pranab Bardhan, Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor Arvind Panagariya and Dr Shamika Ravi as the panellists.
Design and Infrastructure
Designed by the renowned architect and educator Rahul Mehrotra, faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, JSW SPP covers more than 56,000 square feet within IIMA’s New Campus. In Professor Mehrotra’s words, the central ideas that inspired him while designing the building including the creation of an armature with a central promenade that brings together spaces of disparate characters and scales and specifically enhances sociability. The concept also integrates greenery across all levels throughout the building, structural innovations that allow play of light, natural ventilation and most importantly, the creation of a space that favours social interactions. The building houses a large forum, a 120-seater auditorium, one sixty-seater classrooms, two seminar rooms – 60-seater and 30-seater, eight syndicate rooms, 18 faculty offices, a library extension, program office, and spaces for research and teaching assistants.
IIMA representatives, including Professor Namrata Chindarkar, Chairperson, JSW SPP as well as Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement and Paints, participated in the inaugural ceremony.
