Jindal Institute of Haryana Studies

O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has been able to carve a special place for itself in the history of the state of Haryana. JGU was the first private university established under the Haryana Private Universities Act 2006. On becoming an Institution of Eminence the Act of 2006 was accordingly amended. JGU has been consistently achieving top positions in QS rankings across disciplines. As the University celebrates these achievements in the 15-year journey of the university, it honours Haryana, its host, by establishing a new research institute – the Jindal Institute of Haryana Studies (JIHS).

While Haryana has achieved remarkable progress in various sectors since its formation as a separate state of the Indian Republic on November 1, 1966, it continues to face challenges related to governance, social equity, environmental sustainability, and economic diversification. JIHS aims to advance Haryana’s development agenda while aligning with global best practices and sustainable development goals.

JIHS is dedicated to highlighting Haryana’s achievements and addressing Haryana’s unique challenges through interdisciplinary research, innovative policy solutions, capacity-building initiatives, and actionable intervention.

Vision

JIHS aims to conduct meaningful, policyoriented, interdisciplinary research to foster inclusive growth by focusing on marginalised population groups. JISH is dedicated to designing impactful and transformative solutions for Haryana’s economic, social, environmental, governance, and legal challenges. JIHS main goals (not exhaustive) are

Insight to Impact

JIHS will serve as a centre committed to investing time and resources to generate high-impact research and build a robust data system, which will be used to create actionable knowledge for stakeholders. Over time, JIHS will strive to implement evidence-based, action-oriented strategies that deliver measurable outcomes for Haryana’s citizens.

Thought and Action Leadership

Position the Institute as a thought leader in regional studies, focusing on Haryana’s socio-economic development and policy innovation. The Institute will design actionoriented policies to assist the government in adopting evidence-backed policy proposals.

Holistic Development

Address critical developmental challenges, ensuring equity, justice, sustainability, and community empowerment. The Institute will keep the central focus on achieving better social and economic outcomes for women, youth, farmers, and the vulnerable communities of Haryana.

Global Outlook

JIHS will evolve into a reliable, collabora-tive, and interdisciplinary research hub with a unique combination of producing cutting-edge research that translates into impactful policies at the ground level. JIHS will also serve as a platform encouraging dialogues between stakeholders fostering national and international collaborations and partnerships.

Objectives

Promote Evidence-Based Policymaking

Use existing data and generate new data and ﬁeld insights to assist government oﬃcials, policymakers, and legislators design eﬀective interventions.

Foster Inclusive Growth

Develop models to bridge gender divides and rural-urban divides. Put youth, women, farmers, and vulnerable communities of Haryana under focus for accelerated enhancement of their social and economic status. Ensure an equitable distribution of resources and opportunities through the proposed policies.

Advance Capacity-Building Initiatives

Involve faculty to oﬀer specialised training programmes for government oﬃcials, educators, healthcare professionals, and civil society leaders.

Engage with Stakeholders

Collaborate with civil society organisations, labour organisations, district oﬃcials, private industries, MLAs, and MPs to identify core issues and implement impactful solutions.

Celebrate and Create Awareness about Haryana's Cultural Heritage

Collaborate with organisations to identify and preserve places of historical and archaeological importance. Document and promote the state’s history, language, art, and traditions.

Phased Planning

JIHS will pursue short-term objectives, such as preparing case studies to evaluate existing schemes on the ground and long-term goals, including introducing interventions in the ﬁeld, to achieve well-rounded progress across the broad spectrum of existing issues.

Establish a dynamic and efficient network

JIHS will foster partnerships with national and international universities, think tanks, and civil society organisations to exchange knowledge and best practices.

Four Pillars of Research

Empowerment of Youth, Women, Farmers, and Marginalised Groups of Haryana

Industry Development and Employment-Linked Investment

Education, Health, Environmental, and Human Development Challenges to Fulfil the SDGs

Legal and Institutional Reforms

O.P. Jindal Global University at a Glance

Students

University Faculty & Staff

Collaborations with International Universities

Alumni Network

Publications

Flagship Programme

District Human Development Reports

UNDP has assisted the Government of Haryana in adopting the SDG Vision 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals Coordination Centre (SDGCC) is located at the Swarna Jayanti Haryana Institute of Fiscal Management. JIHS will collaborate with these entities to prepare periodic district-intensive human and sustainable development reports, beginning with Sonipat. Sonipat has emerged as a leading education hub with high-quality higher education institutions such as O.P. Jindal Global University, Ashoka University, and many others. JIHS can play a key role in supporting the district government to measure and monitor human and sustainable development indicators such that they can be commensurate with the economic growth parameters of the state and consistent with national and state priorities for achieving SDGs.

HEALING – Health and Education Access, Legal and entitlements, Institutions, ENvironment, and Governance

HEALING is a multi-sectoral participatory action research based in the Rai industrial area of Sonipat, Haryana. With the beneﬁts of urbanisation also come the perils of unplanned urbanisation. The Rai industrial area of Sonipat is one such example. The area has witnessed rapid, albeit unplanned, urbanisation in the last decade. There has been widespread in-migration of workers without a corresponding growth in public amenities to support this working population. On the contrary, there has been a trend of increasing commercialisation and informalisation of public services. This unplanned and random development process leads to several social and sanitary hazards.

On-The-Ground Projects

Ecological, Agrarian, and Rural Transformations of Haryana (EARTH)

This research vertical is constituted to study Haryana’s diverse rural transformation processes. It has two sub-verticals focusing on the nature of i) socio-economic transformations and rural livelihoods and ii) agroecological transformations and sustainability practices.

Entrepreneurial Spillovers and Regional Growth in Haryana (ESPRiG)

This research vertical examines how proximity to a thriving startup ecosystem influences regional entrepreneurship. Focusing on Haryana, which borders the dynamic Delhi-NCR startup hub, this study will explore whether and how entrepreneurial activity diffuses beyond established ecosystems.

Documentation of Historic Bazaars of Sonipat City

The historic bazaars of Sonipat represent more than just places of commerce; they are vibrant repositories of the city’s cultural heritage, social fabric, and economic evolution. This project, “Documentation of Historic Bazaars of Sonipat,” aims to capture and preserve the invaluable legacy of these traditional marketplaces.

View All Projects

Team

Professor (Dr.) Mrinalini Jha

Director
Professor of Economics, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, O.P. Jindal Global University

Professor (Dr.) C. Rajkumar

Mentor
Founding Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University

Director’s Message