Elected Representatives at Grassroots in Dialogue with Jammu and Kashmir Policy Institute

1024 576 Sohini Jana

Jammu and Kashmir, a region that has been mired in conflict for over three decades, has seen its political reality evolve amidst structural chaos and some major political fallouts with the Centre over the years. Public trust in the democratic political processes has therefore seen highs and lows alongside the events as they unfolded over time, marking distinct phases when the election turnouts have demonstrated both hope and despair laced with fear for life amidst overall aspirations of the people for building positive peace through stable political systems. As Kashmir valley gears up for the DDC elections, questions remain: what kind of changes can be expected from the changing systems on the ground? How much hope and trust do the people have in the political processes at present after years of political vacuum and corruption in the administration? What could be done to make the necessary amends to facilitate trust before new processes and structures are brought in? Lessons learned from challenges in operations of elected bodies at the local grassroots level so far, can perhaps give us an insight into the need for extra care with respect to the new systems that the government at the Centre seeks to bring into place. At this juncture, the Jammu and Kashmir Policy Institute, a youth-driven local think tank decided to conduct a series of stakeholder dialogue interviews with the elected officials at the village, block and municipal committee levels in different districts to prepare brief study reports and recommendations based on the current situation on the ground. In attempting to build bridges to support democratic political processes in the interest of development, these dialogue series attempt to outline concerns of elected officials at the grassroots and also provide recommendations based on the same for the more effective functioning of newly elected bodies to pave the way for the future.

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Sohini Jana

Sohini who hails from Bengal is a trained conflict analyst with a specialization in Interreligious and Inter-cultural dialogue. Sohini has been part of the United Religions Initiative Network and has served as the India Chapter President of the Euphrates Institute, a US-based not for profit organization. In March 2019, she visited the United States to participate and facilitate at the River of Hope Summit. She earned the Euphrates Institute scholarship and was also one of the honorees at the event. In 2018, Sohini was a delegate at the Parliament of World’s Religions. In 2019, she graduated as the International Fellow for the South Asian region at KAICIID and entered the KAICIID Alumni Network. In February 2020, she was officially recognized as an acclaimed expert in inter-religious dialogue by KAICIID where her profile was nominated for the “Who’s Who in Inter-religious Dialogue” global directory. A regular speaker at various national and international events and a networker, Sohini works to advocate for women’s rights and women’s participation in decision making processes through her advocacy group called Reflections Research Advocacy. At JKPI, she seeks to contribute to the focus areas of inter-community and inter-cultural peace processes in Kashmir. <b>Area Of Expertise</b> Areas Of Expertise Conflict Transformation Inter-religious Dialogue Faith based Diplomacy Inter-Cultural Dialogue Cultural Diplomacy Grassroots Democratic processes Community Identity narrative Women’s rights and Empowerment

Author

Sohini Jana

Sohini who hails from Bengal is a trained conflict analyst with a specialization in Interreligious and Inter-cultural dialogue. Sohini has been part of the United Religions Initiative Network and has served as the India Chapter President of the Euphrates Institute, a US-based not for profit organization. In March 2019, she visited the United States to participate and facilitate at the River of Hope Summit. She earned the Euphrates Institute scholarship and was also one of the honorees at the event. In 2018, Sohini was a delegate at the Parliament of World’s Religions. In 2019, she graduated as the International Fellow for the South Asian region at KAICIID and entered the KAICIID Alumni Network. In February 2020, she was officially recognized as an acclaimed expert in inter-religious dialogue by KAICIID where her profile was nominated for the “Who’s Who in Inter-religious Dialogue” global directory. A regular speaker at various national and international events and a networker, Sohini works to advocate for women’s rights and women’s participation in decision making processes through her advocacy group called Reflections Research Advocacy. At JKPI, she seeks to contribute to the focus areas of inter-community and inter-cultural peace processes in Kashmir. Area Of Expertise Areas Of Expertise Conflict Transformation Inter-religious Dialogue Faith based Diplomacy Inter-Cultural Dialogue Cultural Diplomacy Grassroots Democratic processes Community Identity narrative Women’s rights and Empowerment

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