Ex-IAS Wajahat Habibullah, India's first CIC, to lead top New Delhi think tank

By Kashif Ahmad Khan*
The Centre for the Studies of Plural Societies (CSPS) has announced new leadership for the next two years. Wajahat Habibullah (retd IAS) and former first Chief Information Commissioner of India, will now lead the think tank, while Prof AK Ramakrishnan, retired professor of the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, will be the new Vice Chairperson. Prof Ahmad Kamal, the distinguished scientist and former scientific advisor to the government of Telangana was the founding Chairperson of the CSPS since 2021.
Wajahat Habibullah, a distinguished public servant, intellectual, and author, is the former Chief Information Commissioner of India. An IAS officer from 1968-2005, he has a distinguished record of public service including as secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Textiles, and Department of Consumer Affairs.

He has been a member of prominent international and national institutions including a member of the World Bank's Info Appeals Board in July 2010, a former member of the Advisory Council, Brookings Doha Center, former member, Advisory Council, USIP Education and Training Center, Washington DC, and former Chairman, Board of Governors, National Institute of Technology, Srinagar. His publications include “Government to Citizens Relationship in the Changing Economic Scenario", "Promise of e-Governance-Operational Challenges", "The Protection of Human Rights in a Disturbed Situation", "Searching for Common Ground in South Asia", "The and "My Years with Rajiv: Triumph and Tragedy".
Prof AK Ramakrishnan, a teacher, and public intellectual, holds an MA in International Studies and a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has a four decades-long bright career of teaching international relations, feminism, transnationalism, West Asia, orientalism, and postcolonialism in different Indian universities including Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

He is widely acclaimed for his contributions to developing West Asian studies in Indian universities. His publications include “Normative Dimensions of India’s International Engagement”, “Neoliberal Globalism and India’s Foreign Policy: Towards a Critical Rethinking,” “A Critique of contemporary liberal IR Theory from a South Asian Standpoint”, "Contestations Over Sovereignty: Revisiting the Role of EU in International Politics,” and “Postcolonialism, Islam, and Area Studies.”
Distinguished members of the governing council of the CSPS Anwarul Hoda, IPS (retd), former DG, Andhra Pradesh; Sushil Kumar, (retd IAS); Prof Furqan Qamar, Jamia Millia Islamia, former VC of Central University of Himachal Pradesh and University of Rajasthan; and Prof Arvinder A Ansari, Professor of Sociology, Jamia Millia Islamia.

Prof Ahmad Kamal, recognized among the top 100 global scientists, scientific consultant to the Government of Telangana, and former Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Hamdard; Muazzam Naik, businessman, philanthropist, and president of Humanity International Foundation (HIF), expressed their gratitude and best wishes to both Wajahat Habibullah and Prof AK Ramakrishnan (photo).

CSPS was established in 2021 as an independent, non-profit, educational and research training center in New Delhi to provide training and support in the spirit of a nuanced and analytical approach, and objective, method-based scientific research on all issues that arise or are at stake in a pluralistic society like India:

Nuanced intervention in national and international contemporary and historical debates, bringing the perspectives of the marginalised peoples and discourses into focus while generating new sustainable ideas.
Developing ideas based on reason and debate involving theoretical and methodological frameworks in pursuit of critical engagement.
Creating a skill-developing ecosystem through grassroots, national, and international academic and policy-oriented collaborations to become a robust contributor to government bodies with an ability to provide inputs and advisory on diverse themes and fields of research to enable dialogue across sectors.
Providing training and opportunities to early-career scholars and young graduates by providing practical research experience and preparing them to compete and contribute to impactful research in academia, policymaking, and industry.
Undertake rigorous data collection exercises to investigate contemporary research agendas in line with the SDGs to enrich discourses to establish a just and sustainable future.

Over the past three years, the CSPS has trained three batches of interns and completed several short-term courses and workshops along with dozens of academic talks and distinguished lectures. CSPS has also signed MOUs with several universities and institutions to provide our support to their students and faculty members.

---

Programme Officer, Centre for Studies of Plural Societies (CSPS), New Delhi

Comments

राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी: जल जीवन मिशन के लक्ष्य को पाने समन्वित प्रयास जरूरी

- राज कुमार सिन्हा* जल संसाधन से जुड़ी स्थायी समिति ने वर्तमान लोकसभा सत्र में पेश रिपोर्ट में बताया है कि "नल से जल" मिशन में राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी साबित हुए हैं। जबकि देश के 11 राज्यों में शत-प्रतिशत ग्रामीणों को नल से जल आपूर्ति शुरू कर दी गई है। रिपोर्ट में समिति ने केंद्र सरकार को सिफारिश की है कि मिशन पुरा करने में राज्य सरकारों की समस्याओं पर गौर किया जाए।

'A tribal lifeline': Health rights group asks Gujarat governor to halt Vyara govt hospital privatization

By A Representative In a strong appeal to the Governor of Gujarat, the National Health Rights Alliance (NHRA)—an initiative of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)—has urged the state to halt the ongoing move to privatize the Vyara Government Hospital and Medical College in Tapi district.

Old bias, new excuses: How western media misrepresents India’s anti-terror strikes

By Gajanan Khergamker The recent Indian military strikes on Pakistan, dubbed Operation Sindoor, have sparked a storm of international media coverage. Several prominent outlets have portrayed India as the aggressor in the escalating conflict, raising concerns over biased reporting. This commentary critiques coverage by foreign media outlets such as The New York Times , Reuters, BBC, and CNN, which have often been accused of framing India’s actions as escalatory while downplaying or omitting critical context regarding Pakistan’s role in fostering terrorism. By examining historical patterns and current geopolitical dynamics, this analysis highlights the recurring selective framing, omission of evidence, and a tendency to favor narratives aligned with Western geopolitical interests over factual nuance.

Censor Board's bullying delays 'Phule': A blow to India's democratic spirit

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* A film based on the life and legacy of Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule was expected to release today. Instead, its release has been pushed to the last week of April. The reason? Protests by self-proclaimed guardians of caste pride—certain Brahmin groups—and forced edits demanded by a thoroughly discredited Censor Board.

CASR urges immediate halt to Operation Kagaar, calls for peace talks with Maoists

By A Representative The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), a collective of over 40 civil society organizations, has issued a press statement demanding an immediate end to "Operation Kagaar" and alleged state-led killings of Maoist rebels and indigenous people in central India. The group also called on the central government to create a conducive environment for initiating peace talks with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

जैविक जीवित संसाधनों व प्रकृति पर निर्भर मजदूरों की व्यापक आर्थिक सुरक्षा कैसे हो?

- राज कुमार सिन्हा* भारत में 60 करोड़ से अधिक लोग भूमि, जल, जंगल और समुद्र जैसे प्राकृतिक स्रोतों पर निर्भर हैं । देश में 14.6 करोड़ छोटे और सीमांत किसान, 14.4 करोड़ खेतिहर मजदूर ( बड़ी संख्या में दलित हैं), 27.5 करोड़ वन निवासी, 2.8 करोड़ मछुआरे, 1.3 करोड़ पशुपालक और 1.7 करोड़ कारीगर हैं जो सीधे तौर पर प्रकृति के साथ और प्रकृति के भरोसे काम कर रहे हैं । लगभग 6 करोड़ मौसमी मजदूर हैं जो काम के सिलसिले में लगातार अपने गांव से बाहर जाते हैं और लौटते हैं। प्रकृति निर्भर समुदायों की आर्थिक गतिविधियां जो बड़े पैमाने पर जीवन निर्वाह और छोटी आय के लिए है। वर्तमान आर्थिक नीतियों के कारण, जो कॉर्पोरेट्स और बड़े व्यवसायों का समर्थन करती है, प्रकृति निर्भर समुदाय के लिए अव्यवहारिक होती जा रही है।

Naveen Gautam creates history, becomes first Dalit youth to moderate session at UN

By A Representative In a historic moment for Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent, Mr. Naveen Gautam of the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD) became the first Dalit youth to moderate a session at any United Nations forum.

Kashmiriyat lives: Beyond the prime-time lies

By Rimmi Vaghela I am Rimmi from Ahmedabad. I contemplated this blog on April 27, 2025 in Jammu, when my plans of revisiting the paradise called Kashmir were shattered—not by fear, but by circumstances and sorrow. I decided to share my story with a heavy heart, hoping it reaches those who still believe in the warmth of humanity over the divisive noise of prime-time media.

In the fury of war, humanity succumbs to the illusion of nationalism

By Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava* On May 7, Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti—also known as Rabindra Jayanti or Poncheeshe Boishakh in Kolkata—we celebrated the birth anniversary of the renowned poet, writer, philosopher, reformer, and Nobel laureate. On this occasion, I draw attention to Tagore’s timeless quotes, which resonate profoundly today, perhaps more than ever, as we live in a time when the ruling government has pushed the nation toward war.

Choice of the word 'Sindoor' in India's anti-terror operation: Symbolic feminism or patriarchal strategy?

By Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava* In the aftermath of a war and subsequent ceasefire in 2025, Operation Sindoor has emerged as a focal point of national discourse, not only for its military objectives but also for its symbolic framing. The operation, named after a traditional marker of Hindu marital identity, and the prominent roles of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force in its media briefings, have been widely celebrated as a step toward gender inclusivity.

Search This Blog