Assistant Professor Pankaj Choudhary of Delhi University gets selected for Professional Fellows Program of U.S. Department of State
New Delhi: Assistant Professor Pankaj Choudhary of Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi gets selected for the prestigious Professional Fellows for Governance and Society, South and Central Asia program of U.S. Department of State. He is one of 18 participants selected from hundreds of applicants and one among the three from India to be selected for this exchange program.
The Professional Fellows for Governance and Society, South and Central Asia program brings young professionals from India, Pakistan, and Nepal to the U.S. to exchange ideas, strategies, and best practices in legislative process and policymaking. Through this two-way exchange for emerging leaders ages 25-40 from India, Pakistan, Nepal, and the United States, participants will exchange ideas and best practices, while also improving leadership skills and developing sustainable and enduring linkages with professional counterparts. Participants will be matched with a U.S. organization or government office for a professional fellowship in order to increase their understanding of the U.S. legislative process. They will also engage in civic life through enrichment activities such as meeting with key stakeholders, dialogues, and site visits and participate in the Professional Fellows Congress with other 200+ Fellows from 48 countries.
Says Choudhary, who has written a book on female foeticide, A Story of India’s Missing Women and is quite active on issues of environment and gender sensitization, “It is honor to represent your country at such a prestigious program where you meet representatives from so many countries. I am sure this two-way exchange project for professionals and young leaders will help me to understand U.S. legislative and political process, explore governance principles and practices in public and civil society institutions, enhance their appreciation for the role of civil society in the political process and create linkages and networks with other professional fellows.”
Adds Professor (Dr.) Usha Tandon, Professor-in-charge, Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, “We are quite pleased with the selection of Pankaj Choudhary for such an engaging and enriching program. Such exchange initiatives help to gain a deeper understanding of the societies, cultures, and people of each other’s countries.”
The Professional Fellows for Governance and Society is administered by World Learning on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The other two selected professionals from India are Mirza Zulfiqur Rahman, Senior Research Fellow & PhD Researcher, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam and Priyadarshini Mahara, Media Coordinator, Indian Youth Congress.