What did the GST Bill that was passed in 2017, Triple Talaq Bill passed in 2018, CAA Bill passed in 2019, and the three Farm Bills passed in 2020 have in common? They all lacked pepper deliberation. When Abraham Lincoln pushed for the idea of a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, he envisioned an administration that deliberates with the common person and then took a decision. Today the policy decisions are not taken in the south block or north block of the parliament but in the 7-star hotels with multi-billion dollar CEOs. Gone are the days when bills were drafted by the legal experts, deliberated with policy experts and stakeholders, and then bills were referred to the parliamentary standing committees. A study revealed that during the UPA-2 regime, 71% of the bills were referred to the standing committees, which fell down to 25% during the Modi regime. The present government was thumping its chest on the productivity of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, but this is coming at what cost? The reality is that today the bills drafted lack research and then fail to impact the lives of Indians. During this peculiar period, policy think tanks can revive the spirit of democracy. The policy think tanks of India are publishing quality research papers that, if implemented, can solve tons of problems in India. 

This article talks about one such policy think startup – NITI TANTRA Pvt. Ltd, started by a 21-year old Engineering undergraduate from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, who has earlier worked with the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth (UNMGCY). The engineering undergraduate turned policy analyst has worked with some politicians in the past and also working as Board Member at Sakonsa Organisation. NITI TANTRA identified the biggest flaw which many think tanks of India failed to recognize, which is spreading the idea of policy analysis to every house. The vision of NITI TANTRA is to spread the knowledge of basic economics, international relations, politics, etc., to the children who are not taught such things in their curriculum.

Ritwik Mehta

Currently, NITI TANTRA is working on Punjab and Uttar Pradesh Elections 2022, analyzing the poll promises of all the political parties, candidates, and the needs of these states. Apart from that, this startup think tank is going to launch a podcast and series of magazines that will enlighten the youth on policy issues, basic issues, and people can solve the problems. With a team of 75 members, Ritwik Mehta (Founder of NITI TANTRA) is heading the company and expanding the operations. It will be exciting to note how this startup will change the political scenario in this country. 

The political scenario of this nation surely needs a revamp, and policy think tanks like NITI TANTRA can prove to be very good in recognizing the policy implementation flaws. 

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