Internship Experience @ Praja Foundation, Mumbai: Data Analysis, RTI Filing, Working with Bureaucracy

Name of Organisation, Location

Praja Foundation, Mumbai

Application Process with contact details

You can volunteer for specific tasks (Translation, Proofreading, Event organisation, Data collection, Data Entry or other tasks) by filling a form on their website here and uploading your CV. Or you can apply for internship by mailing your SOP and CV at info@praja.org.

Duration of internship and timings

June 1, 2016 – June 29, 2016

First impression, first day formalities, infrastructure

On the first day, I was briefed about the kind of work that was done at the NGO. I was asked to go through their newsletters to get a better idea about it.

The newsletters consisted of both statistical and analytical reports on issues like ‘State of Municipal Education in Mumbai’, ‘State of Policing and Law and Order in Mumbai’ etc.

Main tasks

I was asked to read affidavits of government officials and Councillors of different wards in Mumbai and prepare their report cards evaluating their performance over the past one year.

I helped with the preparations of the upcoming White Paper Launch of the ‘Report on the Status of Health in Mumbai’

I visited BMC F-South Ward Office in Parel, Mumbai to submit an RTI application.I was given the task of preparing case summaries for certain criminal cases which were to be used in a report analyzing the situation of law and order in the city of Mumbai.

I was given the task of translating (from Hindi to English) the questions raised by councillors of Delhi Municipal Corporation in the ward meetings of their respective zones. On the basis of this data, Praja releases an annual report on the performance of the elected councillors.

Work environment and people

I even had the opportunity to visit the Sessions Court of Mumbai. My seniors and fellow workers at the NGO were very supportive and friendly.

They made me realize the importance of sincerity, hard work and punctuality.

Best things

Overall, my experience at Praja Foundation was wonderful as I got to learn lot of new things including working of government offices and filing of RTI. I even had the opportunity to visit the Sessions Court of Mumbai.

My seniors and fellow workers at the NGO were very supportive and friendly. They made me realize the importance of sincerity, hard work and punctuality.

Interning at Praja gave me hands on experience with large sets of data I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle or analyze.

Field experiences were insightful in allowing the intern to watch the system at close, interact with bureaucracy and connect theory and practice, especially in the light of good governance.

Bad things

There’s no washroom in the office, you have to use the washroom at Starbucks. Also the work space is tiny.

Stipend

None.

Biggest Lessons

Interning at Praja gave me hands on experience with large sets of data I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle or analyze.

Field experiences were insightful in allowing the intern to watch the system at close, interact with bureaucracy and connect theory and practice, especially in the light of good governance.

Accommodation

Home.

Office Timings

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Monday to Saturday, 2nd and 4th Saturday are off)

Timings are flexible.