THE BEST OF INDIA, FOR INDIA.
Real-World Projects | Purposeful Innovation | Nation-Building Leadership
Hands-On Projects (HOPs) are real-world, learner-led challenges embedded in our Policy Pioneers Programme. Each HOP places participants in the pilot’s seat of policymaking — exposing them to the practitioner’s lens while they work on real-world challenges.
At each term:
- Concepts from the curriculum are tested in real-world settings.
- Hands-on projects reflect and reinforce curriculum learning.
- Feedback loops strengthen understanding and delivery.
- Systemic thinking is practised, not just studied.
Learning from Global Microgrid Transitions to Inform India’s Distributed Energy Strategy
Context: Globally, over 1,400 microgrids were active as of 2022, powering healthcare, education, and rural settlements. The U.S. DOE notes microgrids can reduce outage impacts by up to 90%. In India, despite growing renewable capacity, over 30% of rural areas still face supply instability (CEA, 2023).
Challenge: India’s centralized grid struggles to ensure last-mile reliability, especially during peak loads and natural disasters. The challenge is to adopt scalable, cost-effective microgrid models that strengthen energy resilience, especially in underserved and disaster-prone regions.
Description: This project will identify and analyse global microgrid success stories—e.g., Brooklyn Microgrid (USA), Sonnen Community (Germany), and RERE (Kenya)—focusing on technologies, ownership structures, policy enablers, and financing models. Insights will be synthesized into a blueprint to inform India’s distributed energy strategy, particularly for rural and peri-urban contexts.
Handbook on Ethical and Effective Use of Agri-Governance Data for States and Districts
Context: India’s flagship schemes like PM-KISAN (9.8+ crore beneficiaries), e-NAM (1.8+ crore farmers), and Kisan Credit Card generate vast farmer-centric data. However, state and district administrators often lack the strategic guidance and institutional capability to leverage this data responsibly and effectively.
Challenge: Despite a rich data ecosystem, state and district officers face gaps in using agri-data for targeted, privacy-compliant, and effective service delivery. They often miss opportunities to integrate agri-data with health, nutrition, and development indicators. This limits cross-sectoral planning, evidence-based decisions, and optimal policy execution.
Description: This initiative will develop a strategic handbook that empowers state and district officials with practical frameworks for the governance, interpretation, and actionable use of agricultural data. The handbook will integrate best practices, policy guardrails, and real-world case studies to ensure fit-for-purpose, ethically compliant, and outcome-oriented data usage across schemes and contexts. (e.g., targeting PM-KISAN benefits, using e-NAM data for market linkages, identifying KCC coverage gaps).
Building a School Excellence Index to Strengthen Delhi’s Education Outcomes
Context: Between 2015 and 2023, Delhi added 22,700 new classrooms and 32 new schools, alongside SMART classrooms and labs. Class 12 pass rates rose from 88.3% in 2019 to 97.6% in 2023 (DoE Delhi). However, infrastructure upgrades alone cannot guarantee academic or developmental outcomes.
Challenge: There is currently no unified framework to measure how well schools are translating infrastructure gains into academic achievement, student well-being, community participation and strong leadership. A robust, outcome-linked index is missing from Delhi’s school governance model.
Description: This project will develop a multi-dimensional School Excellence Index (SEI) to benchmark quality across Delhi’s government schools. The SEI will include metrics on learning outcomes, leadership effectiveness, student well-being, community participation, infrastructure maintenance and academic performance. The project will study similar national and international frameworks, identify key indicators, and propose an implementation model tailored to Delhi’s governance and data systems.
Demystifying Urban Land Laws: A Digital Toolkit for Accessible Governance
Context: Urban India is rapidly expanding, yet 67% of land disputes stem from regulatory ambiguity (NITI Aayog, 2021). Complex and state-specific bye-laws, zoning norms, and acquisition rules often remain inaccessible to the public and small builders, leading to stalled or illegal projects.
Challenges: There is no accessible, citizen-friendly platform to check construction feasibility across states. People invest heavily before learning about legal roadblocks. A digitised, input-based tool is needed to decode land and building laws for the layperson and streamline administrative workflows.
Description: This project will design a chatbot or input-based web portal that delivers state-specific, preliminary legal guidance on land use and construction based on user inputs (e.g. location, land type, property purpose). It will also map internal administrative processes to identify scope for digital streamlining and improve governance responsiveness.
District Handbook: Enabling Climate Action for District Commissioners
Context: India faces rising climate risks with over 80% of its districts—573 out of 718—classified as hotspots for extreme weather events (CEEW, 2021). The Climate Risk Index 2023 ranks India among the top 10 most affected countries. Himalayan glaciers are melting rapidly, sea levels are rising, and intensifying heatwaves and erratic rainfall patterns are exposing India’s districts to escalating climate risks.
Challenge: District administrations are increasingly tasked with leading climate adaptation and mitigation, yet most lack structured guidance tailored to local geographies. The absence of actionable, region-specific frameworks limits their ability to mainstream climate resilience into planning, infrastructure, and service delivery—especially across diverse terrains like coastal belts, flood-prone plains, or ecologically fragile hill regions.
Description: This project will develop a comprehensive handbook to empower District Commissioners with actionable strategies to address climate change. It will include region-specific modules—covering coastal, plain, arid, hilly, and northeastern districts—with custom adaptation and mitigation pathways. Best practices, case studies, and implementation frameworks will guide decision-making.
MENTOR DETAILS
Dr. Ankit Singhal is a faculty member in Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi, with research centered on the integration of renewable energy technologies and distributed systems. His work explores the dynamics of microgrids, electric mobility, solar power, and advanced inverter control strategies, aiming to enable equitable and resilient energy access. He holds a Ph.D. from Iowa State University and a B.Tech. from IIT Delhi. Before returning to India, he contributed to power systems research at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the U.S., and has engaged with industry leaders like LG Korea and Indian Railways on applied energy projects.
Rajeev Chawla, a 1987-batch IAS officer from the Karnataka cadre and IIT Kanpur alumnus, is a pioneer in digital governance. He led landmark projects like Bhoomi, digitizing Karnataka’s land records, and Khajane, automating the state treasury. As Additional Chief Secretary for e-Governance, he advanced platforms like e-Procurement and Karnataka One. Currently serving as Chief Knowledge Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, he is guiding the development of AgriStack, a transformative initiative to digitize Indian agriculture. Central to this is the creation of a unified Agri ID, aimed at enabling data-driven advisories, targeted benefits, and inclusive support for farmers nationwide.
Atul Prakash, a 2018-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, currently serves as the CEO of the Bhiwadi Integrated Development Authority (BIDA), where he leads infrastructure and industrial development initiatives to transform Bhiwadi into a well-planned industrial city. Previously, he served as Assistant Collector in Kota and Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Garhi, Banswara district, focusing on rural development and tribal welfare. Known for his disciplined and citizen-centric approach, Atul emphasizes transparent governance and efficient public service delivery, driving inclusive growth across his administrative roles in Rajasthan.
Anshul Mishra, a 2004-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, is currently serving as the Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board. Previously, as Secretary of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, he led transformative urban planning initiatives. His tenure as Collector of Madurai and Tiruvannamalai districts was marked by enhanced governance reforms. Mishra also served as Commissioner of Coimbatore Corporation during the World Tamil Conference and as Private Secretary to the Union Minister of State for Finance. An alumnus of JNU and Cornell University, he brings extensive experience in urban development and public administration.
Nazuk Kumar is a 2016-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, currently serving as the Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in Delhi. In this capacity, she oversees curriculum development, teacher training, and educational research initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of school education in the National Capital Territory. Prior to this, she held significant positions including Director of Higher & Technical Education in Mizoram, and Deputy Commissioner of Aizawl District. Notably, during her tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Serchhip, she led successful water conservation projects that garnered national recognition.
Jitesh V. Patil, an IAS officer from the 2016 Telangana cadre, currently serves as the Collector and District Magistrate of Bhadradri Kothagudem district. He previously held the position of Collector in Kamareddy district. Patil is recognized for his commitment to sustainable rural development, notably promoting eco-friendly housing using local materials like mud and bamboo. He actively engages in community initiatives, including Swachhata Hi Seva campaigns, and advocates for preserving tribal heritage through environmentally conscious construction practices. His leadership emphasizes inclusive governance, environmental sustainability, and grassroots empowerment.
Dr. Ashok Khemka, a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, is renowned for his uncompromising integrity and commitment to clean governance. Over a distinguished 34-year career, he held a wide range of administrative positions across departments such as land records, transport, archives, and education. Known for taking principled stands against corruption, Khemka became a national figure after cancelling a controversial land deal in 2012. Despite facing over 50 transfers, he consistently prioritized transparency and public interest. Dr. Khemka retired from active service in April 2025, earning respect as one of India’s most upright and fearless civil servants.