Delhi to strengthen and expand its policy think-tank

NEW DELHI: The Government of NCT of Delhi has approved a plan for restructuring and strengthening the capacity of the Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) of Delhi. The DDC is the policy think-tank of the Delhi government.

Jasmine Shah, Vice-Chairperson, DDC, during a press conference, said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has set a bold vision for Delhi. He mentioned that the government has set a vision to make Delhi a city with per capita income equal to that of Singapore; modern world-class infrastructure and public services; sustainable provisions for clean air and water; and resilience in fighting disasters and climate change by 2047. He said that on assessing the organisation against the goal, it was realised that DDC as an institution needed to be strengthened.

Institutional strengthening and restructuring of DDC was proposed last year and now has been accepted by the Delhi government, Delhi cabinet and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. It has now been notified in the Delhi Gazette. Post this, DDC will have 48 sanctioned posts, including 26 posts for policy experts from around the world from various domains will be hired on contractual basis.

Shah mentioned that the plan details the mandate of DDC, which is to advise and assist the government’s work across six policy sectors. Each sector will be headed by an official in the rank of an advisor.