The IOS (established in 1986) has successfully completed 35 years of its existence with steady progress and widening the scope of its endeavours as a non-political and non-profitable organisation. It has gained recognition in all relevant quarters at national and international plane for promoting research, conducting surveys on relevant themes, publishing books and journals in areas of national concern and pressing challenges of civil societies, awarding scholarships to meritorious university scholars, actively participating in social welfare, educational and management fields. The focal areas may also be identified for developing development models suiting to Indian masses particularly the poor, marginalised and deprived sections; initiatives to foster world peace, and strive hard to develop mechanisms and environment for conflict resolution.  It has also responded actively to national issues particularly relating to problems and placement of minorities in general and Muslims in particular. It has tried its best to uphold the ideals of secularism, democracy, rule of law and Constitutionalism.

 

The IOS has specifically tried to create linkages with other NGOs on practical levels by creating synergy for collaborative efforts and programmes. Another notable area of interest has been to work on regional problems and profiles of marginalised sections of society in different regions of India. It is found that the five regional chapters of the Institute could play a substantial role in these sectors. This is an area, which requires to expand particularly the spheres concerning weaker sections of society in a planned manner. However, there is a lot to be done in such and other relevant fields. The envisaged role of NGOs in national reconstruction calls for greater and wider space to be covered by the IOS.

 

The Institute has acquired marked credibility in few select areas namely achieving steady progress in bringing together a galaxy of social scientists, policy planners and social workers. The brain storming efforts have resulted into creating an intellectual movement all over the country among scholars, community leaders and social activists. Secondly, the IOS could create a synergy to focus on the problems of weaker sections of society, the marginalised and suffering from deprivation. It has tried to foster healthy inter-community linkages among various sections of society. Studies in areas of Dalits, OBCs etc. are conducted even through collaboration with other NGOs working in concerned areas. Thirdly, it has struggled hard to save and augment secular, democratic and constitutional values of Indian legal, civilisational and cultural base line. It has tirelessly worked in all odds at all levels in past years.

 

The achievements, programmes and performance have caused a substantial rise in expectancy level of all concerned. It enjoys legal status and permission to conduct its affairs in terms of exemption in income tax to donors, permission under FCRA (Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act) etc. The IOS is an NGO in consultative status (Roster) with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN.

 

The governing structure of the IOS, as per the Memorandum of Association, consists of two democratically elected bodies namely the General Assembly of 117+20 members and Governing Council of 15 elected office bearers and members. The research and academic activities are conducted through 23 academic committees in their specialised areas. The Institute has it’s headquarter in New Delhi along with its five chapters at Aligarh, Chennai, Calicut, Kolkata and Patna.

 

So far, around 425 projects, reports and translations of important books have been completed and approximately 23 others are due for completion shortly.

 

The Institute has become a trendsetter in the fields of conceptual and investigative research on the Quranic approach to human problems and the problems of Muslims in India. Various survey projects focused on the problems of Muslims are fulfilling a long felt need for statistical information and analysis in different areas.