Centre for Federalism & Multilevel Governance
People Working Under the Vertical
Prof. Abhay Pethe
In academia for over 40 years, Prof Abhay Pethe is currently Chairman of Academic Council of National Institute of Securities Markets. He is also special advisor to the VC of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) and a Senior Research Fellow at PIC. Previously, he was Senior Resident Fellow at Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy (MSE-PP), University of Mumbai and Member of the Governing Board of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai. He has worked as consultant and expert to the Government of India, Planning Commission, RBI, Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, the World Bank, and UNDP/UNCHS. He is also a Senior Consultant/ Advisor to UNICEF Maharashtra, Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF), CRISIL, and the IDFC Institute.
Prof. Pradeep Apte
Prof. Pradeep Apte is a Emeritus professor at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, specializing in Agriculture, Water and Sanitation, International Economics and Public Finance. In addition to his research, Prof. Apte has played a crucial role in enhancing Maharashtra’s own revenue performance, as acknowledged by the World Bank. His expertise extends to analyzing employment trends in Maharashtra, and he has been involved in studying “Farmers Movements in Post-Independent India” under the auspices of the Central Government. Prof. Apte’s notable accomplishments also include his contribution to the improvement of the Bombay Metropolitan Suburban System, as recognized by both the Central and State Governments. He has been member of Maharashtra’s Third State Finance Commission and the expert member of 13th Finance Commission, Government of India. Prof Apte has been member of several government committees and advising bodies of Union Government of India and Government of Maharashtra.
Prof. Ajay Shah
Prof. Ajay Shah studied at IIT, Bombay, and USC, Los Angeles. He has held positions at the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Research (IGIDR), Department of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Finance, and National Institute for Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP). He is now Co-Founder at XKDR Forum. His research is at the intersection of economics, law and public administration. His second book, co-authored with Dr. Vijay Kelkar, ‘In service of the republic: The art and science of economic policy’, featured in Bloomberg’s global ‘2020 Best Books on Business and Leadership’.
Dr Vishal Gaikwad
Research Fellow
Seena Mary Thankachan
Research Associate
Anay Kulkarni
Research Assistant
Centre for Federalism & Multilevel Governance
Centre for Federalism & Multilevel Governance vertical at Pune International Centre engages with the evolving architecture of India’s public institutions and urban transformation. Its work bridges theory, practice, and policy design to strengthen democratic decentralisation, institutional accountability, and inclusive economic growth. The vertical adopts an interdisciplinary lens to address governance challenges across tiers—local, state, and national—while foregrounding data, evidence, and citizen-centricity in reform processes.
Key Initiatives
Date: March 24, 2025 | Venue: PIC Campus
PIC’s Annual Conference on Democratic Decentralisation and Strengthening the 3rd Tier Government convened experts, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss reforms for empowering urban and rural local governments. The event focused on legal, fiscal, and institutional reforms, strengthening municipal and rural finances, and integrating digital governance tools to improve service delivery and accountability. Speakers emphasised the importance of independent evaluation frameworks, enhanced fiscal devolution, and citizen participation in governance.
Key voices included Prof. Abhay Pethe, Mr. Sunil Kumar (ex-Secretary, MoPR), Dr. Ajit Ranade, Dr. Chandrashekhar Pran, and others who called for deeper decentralisation, grassroots engagement, and inclusive, locally tailored policies to unlock India’s urban and rural growth potential.
Date: January 24, 2025 | Venue: Bajaj Conference Hall, MCCIA Trade Tower, Pune
PIC hosted a roundtable chaired by Dr. Vijay Kelkar to discuss the challenges of electoral constituency delimitation and its impact on political representation in India. Featuring papers by Prof. Suhas Palshikar and Dr. Sanjeer Alam, the discussion highlighted rising regional disparities, under-representation in urban areas, and demographic imbalances across states. Eminent scholars and policymakers deliberated on constitutional frameworks and proposed reforms such as expanding the Lok Sabha, restructuring the Rajya Sabha, and rebalancing inter-state representation to uphold equality and federal principles.
Date: May 3, 2024 | Venue:Bajaj Conference Hall, MCCIA Trade Tower, Pune
Co-hosted by PIC and GIPE, this roundtable brought together scholars, former bureaucrats, and urban governance experts to examine institutional overlaps, fiscal reform, and capacity-building needs in rural and urban local bodies. Chaired by Dr. Vijay Kelkar, the sessions focused on multilevel governance, service delivery, and democratic participation. The event laid the foundation for the upcoming March 2025 conference and a joint PIC-GIPE policy research agenda on strengthening local governance in India.
Opinion & Commentary
The Silent Crisis in IITs: Addressing Student Suicides and Mental Health