Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh)—In a significant move to strengthen evidence-based governance and policy research, the Haryana government is working to recognize the Swarna Jayanti Haryana Institute of Fiscal Management (SJHIFM) as an official research centre of Kurukshetra University. This initiative aims to establish a robust research ecosystem aligned with the state’s long-term developmental vision and the broader objective of achieving a ‘Developed Haryana-2047’.
A proposal detailing this structural integration was reviewed during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi. Under this framework, SJHIFM is being positioned to offer specialized PhD programs and evolve into a multidisciplinary centre of excellence focusing on public policy, financial management, digital governance, and capacity building. This institutional affiliation will ensure that long-term academic and empirical research directly supports state governance and data-driven administrative decisions.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Higher Education Department, A.K. Singh, stated that connecting SJHIFM with Kurukshetra University will enable the institute to run its doctoral programs in strict compliance with the University Act, institutional statutes, and guidelines set by the University Grants Commission (UGC). This model aligns with the structural setups of other premier national research institutes, formalizing SJHIFM’s existing contributions to outcome-oriented public finance and policy studies.
The meeting also reviewed amendments to the eligibility criteria for core administrative and academic roles within the institute, specifically for the posts of Team Lead and State Program Officer. The revised qualifications aim to recruit top-tier talent, including PhD holders, seasoned academicians, scientists, and domain experts from public sectors and autonomous research bodies. Elevating these recruitment benchmarks will simultaneously secure a qualified pool of research supervisors to oversee the upcoming doctoral scholars.
