Observer Research Foundation
28°37′50″N 77°14′15″E / 28.630643°N 77.237465°E
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| Formation | 5 September 1990 |
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| Type | Public policy think tank |
| Headquarters | 20, Rouse Avenue Institutional Area, New Delhi – 110002 |
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Chairman | Sunjoy Joshi |
President | Samir Saran |
| Staff | 120 |
| Website | orfonline.org |
Observer Research Foundation (ORF) is an independent global think tank based in Delhi, India. The foundation has three centres in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
History
[edit]ORF was founded in part by the Dhirubhai Ambani family; it claims to operate independently, though.[1] According to some reports, until 2009, 95% of the foundation's budget was provided by Reliance Industries, however, it is now estimated to be around 65% as the foundation diversified its source of finance to the government, foreign foundations, and others.[2]
Conflict of interest
[edit]According to independent media reports published by The Caravan, Samir Saran, a former corporate communications executive at Reliance Industries, despite neither being a subject-matter expert nor having conducted formal research, heads the ORF and appears to play a caretaker role for retired bureaucrats and professionals—many of whom have previously done favors for Reliance and are now being accommodated within the same institution.[1]
On the other hand, Dhruva Jaishankar—son of India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and currently heading ORF America—and his joint appearances with his father at events like the Raisina Dialogue (which is also managed by ORF) have raised questions about the think tank’s growing role in Indian diplomacy.[3] Backed by corporate and government support, this has led to concerns about conflicts of interest and the blurring of lines between public and private influence in foreign policy circles.[4]
Ranking
[edit]ORF was ranked 20th in the list of top think tanks worldwide in the 2020 edition of the Global Go Think Tank Index Report published by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the University of Pennsylvania. It was ranked 2nd among think tanks in China, India, Japan and South Korea.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Sarkar, Urvashi (1 March 2019). "Reliance Industries' mark on Observer Research Foundation". The Caravan. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ Jha, Prashant (16 August 2015). "India's most influential think-tanks". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ Welle, Deutsche (3 October 2023). "FREEDOM OF SPEECH | Are India's liberal think tanks in trouble?". Frontline. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ "The Jaishankars blur the lines between the MEA and Reliance-funded ORF". caravanmagazine.in. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ McGann, James G. (28 January 2021). "2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report". University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
