On December 19, 2025, the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) hosted its Annual Lecture on “Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Reimagining India through Public Policy and Governance.” For Prof. Rumki Basu, the event was a deeply enriching experience, centered on the strategic roadmap required to transition India into a developed nation. The keynote speaker, Shri S. N. Tripathi, IAS (Retd.), Director General of the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), provided profound insights into how governance reforms, institutional strengthening, and citizen-centric policy design form the bedrock of the Viksit Bharat vision. His reflections emphasized the critical alignment of administrative capacity and digital governance with public accountability.
The occasion also marked a historic milestone for the Institute with the release of a Coffee Table Book commemorating 40 years of the ISS (1985–2025). Prof. Rumki Basu noted the significance of having Dr. George Mathew, the Founder of the Institute, join the proceedings virtually to release the commemorative volume. Hosted with great thoughtfulness by ISS Director Mr. Manoj Rai, the event successfully bridged the Institute’s rich four-decade legacy with its future-oriented focus on national development.
The lecture drew a distinguished gathering of scholars and practitioners, including Dr. Arun Kumar, Prof. O. P. Mathur, and Prof. Balveer Arora, Former Rector and Pro-Vice Chancellor of JNU. Their presence, along with that of prominent attendees such as Dr. Tanvir Aeijaz and Prof. Naved Jamal from Jamia Millia Islamia, underscored the continued relevance of public policy scholarship. The evening concluded with a thoughtful Vote of Thanks by Dr. Dinoo Anna Mathew, Head of Research at ISS, and was seamlessly anchored by Ms. Aan Mary Suresh, Research Associate at the Centre for Public Policy and Governance, ensuring a professional and substantive flow to the entire program.
