New Delhi, Dec 29 (AHN) The Congress on Monday appointed Sandeep Dikshit as the chairperson of ‘Rachnatmak Congress’, formerly known as the Outreach Cell, to engage with civil society, academics and activists on policy matters, including the rural jobs scheme.

All India Congress Committee General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, in a statement, announced the decision taken by National President Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint Dikshit to the key post.

“Congress President has appointed Sandeep Dikshit as the Chairperson of Rachnatmak Congress, formerly known as the Outreach Cell, with immediate effect,” said Venugopal.

“Rachnatmak Congress will function as a dedicated platform for engagement with civil society groups, domain experts, academics, activists, and issue-based collectives,” he said.

“Its primary mandate will be to facilitate meaningful interaction on a wide range of policy matters and social concerns, enabling the Congress party to benefit from diverse perspectives and ground-level insights,” said Venugopal.

Dikshit, 60, a two-time MP from East Delhi and son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, is known to be a vocal Congress leader who played a key role in the Parliamentary Standing Committee that drafted the MGNREGA Bill, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, after the 2012 Delhi and the Land Acquisition Bill.

His new assignment also holds significance, considering that Kharge has announced a nationwide agitation against the “dropping of MGNREGA” by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The new chief of the Rachnatmak Congress cell is also known for his experience in the field of development, public policy, farming and tribal communities.

Dikshit has worked on rural development and human development issues for almost two decades in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. He also teaches Human Development and public policy in the private university in Sonepat, Haryana.

The party’s organisational appointment came at a time when the buzz for strengthening the party is getting louder.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh and MP Shashi Tharoor have both voiced the need for strengthening the party with discipline.