Avinash Chandra

Centre for Civil Society

Centre for Civil Society advances social change through public policy. Our work in education, livelihood, and policy training promotes choice and accountability across the private and public sectors. To translate policy into practice, we engage with policy and opinion leaders through research, pilot projects and advocacy. We are India's leading liberal think tank, ranked 50 worldwide by the annual study conducted by the Think Tanks and Civil Society Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Our vision is that each individual leads a life of choice in personal, economic and political spheres and every institution is accountable. We successfully campaigned for livelihood freedom for street entrepreneurs, resulting in the passing of the Street Vendors (Regulation and Protection of Livelihood Act in March 2014. Our School Choice Campaign popularised the instrument of school vouchers in education, increasing choice and access to quality education for all. Currently, our focus is on reshaping the school education policy landscape - shifting the focus to learning outcomes, expanding choice in education and advocating deregulation for private sector; amplifying the voice of budget private schools which are catering to the poor sections of society but face closure in the face of the RTE; enhancing choice and accountability through the CCS skill voucher model in government skilling programs; promoting livelihood freedom by facilitating effective implementation of the Street Vendors Act and creating future leaders through policy trainings and courses who will be champions of liberty in their fields going forward.