Executive Committee

PROF. VISHWA BALLABH

President

Prof. Vishwa Ballabh is a Professor in Economics area in XLRI, Jamshedpur, currently serving as President to Executive Committee of NIRMAN.

PROF. VISHWA BALLABH

Prof. Vishwa Ballabh is a Professor in Economics area in XLRI, Jamshedpur, currently serving as President to Executive Committee of NIRMAN. Prior to joining XLRI, he was Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor at the Institute of Rural management Anand. Prof Ballabh graduated in Agriculture from Pant Nagar and holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. He has been a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and was a Visiting Scholar at the Indiana University, USA and a Visiting Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute, Philippines. He has over twenty eight years of teaching and research experience. His major area of research interest has been institutions and natural resource management.

He is a member of several national and international professional societies in agricultural, natural resource economics and development fields. He was Vice President of Indian Society of Agricultural Economics 1996-97. He has published widely and co-edited two books titled, Farm Forestry in South Asia, Co-operative Management of Natural Resources. He is presently editing books on Droughts and Integrated Water Resource Management in South Asia : Issues, Alternatives and Futures (with Jasween Jairath), Governance of Water: Institutional Alternatives And Political Economy and Institutional alternatives and Governance of agriculture. He has also co-authored a monograph titled Organising for Rural Development. Widely travelled, Prof Ballabh has participated in several national and international conferences and has provided consultancy to several national and international development organizations such as the Ford Foundation, Royal Netherlands Embassy, UNICEF and International Water Management Institute.

MR. RANJAN ROUT

Vice-President

Mr. Ranjan Rout is a development professional of 26 years’ experience in promoting livelihoods of poor and marginalised…

MR. RANJAN ROUT

Mr. Ranjan Rout is a development professional of 26 years’ experience in promoting livelihoods of poor and marginalised sections through micro-enterprise development. He has long experience of undertaking assignment of National & International Development Agencies on different Livelihood & Rural Development Projects. He has considerable experience in program planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, study & action research on sustainable livelihood, micro-enterprise development, water and sanitation. Acquired extensive experience on WASH, community-centred Child Development (CCCD) – Child Protection and Child Participation, Decentralized Governance, Forest Management, promotion of NTFP based cooperatives, Land and Water Management, Watershed Development & Disaster Management. He has also experience in raising funds from institutional donors. Mr. Ranjan is currently working as the Executive Director of the National Institute for Development Innovation (NIDI).

MR. PRASANT MOHANTY

Secretary Cum Executive Director

Mr. Prasant is the founding member of NIRMAN and is currently serving as Secretary-cum-Executive Director. He has more than 26 years of experience in rural development.

Mr. Prasant Mohanty

Prasant is a founding member of NIRMAN and is currently serving as Secretary-cum-Executive Director. He has more than 26 years’ experience in rural development, safe food system and natural resources governance. Apart from his expertise, he had a dynamic role in influencing rights-based concerns in areas of community forestry and ecological farming and small-scale fishery. Institutional issues in community forestry and forest governance always attracted his attention leading him to contribute significantly in these areas

His interests include tenure security, ecological farming, natural resource management and governance, sustainable energy solutions, improving market access, technologies for social development. The academic portfolio includes MA in Development Planning & Administration. He is responsible for the Programme Management, resources mobilisation, strategic planning and organisation development within the Organization and is also associated with various networks within India and abroad.

MS. GEETA PRAHARAJ

Member

Ms. Geeta has been active in social work over a decade. She is having graduation degree in Social Science from Utkal University

MS. GEETA PRAHARAJ

Ms. Geeta has been active in social work over a decade. She is having graduation degree in Social Science from Utkal University. Currently, she is serving as the member to the executive committee of NIRMAN.

MS.NEEMA PATHAK

Member

Neema Pathak Broome is a member of Kalpavriksh Environment Action Group, Pune, India. She has been working on issues related to governance…

Ms. Neema Pathak

Neema Pathak Broome is a member of Kalpavriksh Environment Action Group, Pune, India. She has been working on issues related to governance, management and conservation of biological diversity in India for last decade. In particular, her focus areas have been to document and popularize the management and conservation of species and habitat by rural, local communities; analysis and commenting on laws and policies related to conservation; and influencing the decision making processes related to participatory conservation of biological diversity.

Some of the activities that she has been centrally involved with include – policy analysis and lobbying for appropriate changes in the laws and policies, particularly the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Indian Forest Act 1927, The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 and other relevant Acts, policies and government orders pertaining to ecosystem conservation and local livelihoods. She has also written a number of papers & organized a number of workshops on Community Conserved Areas in India among others. Neema has recently compiled and edited a Directory of Community Conserved Areas in India. Neema is also coordinating an international process of writing a training manual and training course on “Governance of Protected Areas” being supported by TILCEPA, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and GTZ.

MR. PRANAB R. CHAUDHURY

Member

Pranab is a Post Graduate in Forestry from Dr YSPUHF, Solan, HP with more than 15 years of experience…

MR. PRANAB R. CHAUDHURY

Pranab is a Post Graduate in Forestry from Dr YSPUHF, Solan, HP with more than 25 years of experience; 8 years as Scientist in Indian Council of Agriculture Research; more than 17 years as independent consultant; has worked in more than 8 states in India, in Nepal and Bangladesh with the multilateral/ bilateral (JICA, World Bank, DFID, UNDP etc.) and donor funded (EC, EED, Caritas etc.) projects, with state Govt and NGOs. He has 20 International papers, 21 National conference papers, 11 peer reviewed international and national Journals, 3 Books/ chapters, 11 Working papers/ Reports, 12 popular/ technical articles and 40 TV features to his credit. His areas of expertise include Watershed Management, Forestry, Livelihoods, Farming System and Inter-disciplinary Issues. He has lead and supervised research and consultant teams for big projects, worked in multi-cultural/ethnic settings and dealt with senior functionaries of GO/NGO.

MR. SISIR K.PRADHAN

Member

Mr. Sisir Kanta Pradhan have over 22 years of experience in Development sector. He has expertise in natural resources management

MR. SISIR K.PRADHAN

Mr. Sisir Kanta Pradhan have over 22 years of experience in Development sector. He has expertise in natural resources management, support national and regional agencies for program development in the areas of social protections, livelihoods, democratic governance, natural resource management, water and sanitation etc.

He has also been actively engaged in facilitating the development of capacity building framework and Institutional resource book for frontline workers and senior managers on forest and common Property Resources, worked extensively on policy action related to forest, water and local governance, excelled hands on experience on shaping institutional and biophysical processes for the effective governance of local resources for better livelihood of rural communities in states like Odisha, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and MP.

Presently, he is working as Senior Consultant-cum-Advisor to CLTS foundation Global and also providing technical support and building capacities of field functionaries of national governments, UNICEF and Global Sanitation fund in the area of livelihoods, institutional development, sanitation and natural resource management in various parts of India and across different south Asian and African Nations. He is author and co-author to many books and his Articles are published in many reputed national and international journals.

MS. DEBASINA MOHANTY

Treasurer

Ms. Debasina is having Master’s Degree in Social Science from Utkal University; Bhubaneswar and has been active in social work…

MS. DEBASINA MOHANTY

Ms. Debasina is having Master’s Degree in Social Science from Utkal University; Bhubaneswar and has been active in social work since her college career. Currently, she is serving as Treasurer of NIRMAN

MS. SIKHA SAHOO

Asst. Secretary

Ms. Sikha is having Master’s Degree in Social Science from Utkal University; Bhubaneswar and has passion for social work since her college days…

MS. SIKHA SAHOO

Ms. Sikha is having Master’s Degree in Social Science from Utkal University; Bhubaneswar and has passion for social work since her college days. Currently, she is serving as the Asst. Secretary to the Executive Committee of NIRMAN.

MS. SUGATA NAYAK

Member

Ms. Sugata has 10 years of experience on Nutritional garden, Rooftop garden and conversion of Bio-mass to Amritt Mitti (Rich Organic Soil).

MS. SUGATA NAYAK

Ms. Sugata has more than 10 years of experience in roof top garden & kitchen garden, organic farming. Trained in Natueco Farming techniques from Krishi Tirtha Trust, Bajwada, Madhya Pradesh, She has been active in various programmes relating sustaining of traditional lifestyle, environment conservation, organic farming, conservation of medicinal plants and setting up of organic pesticide unit. currently work as Director of SISU Organic OPC Private Limited and have successfully implemented a project for conversion of Bio-mass to Amrit Mitti (rich Organic Soil) in Institute of Minerals & Materials Technology (IMMT), Bhubaneswar.

MR. GOBINDA B. DALAI

Member

Mr. Gobinda, a TISS Alumnus, has more than 17 years of experience in development sector and works on issues pertaining to youth development, micro enterprises and rural development.

MR. GOBINDA BALLAVA DALAI

Mr. Gobinda, a TISS Alumnus, has more than 17 years of experience in development sector and works on issues pertaining to youth development, communitisation, micro enterprises and rural development. He is the Founder and Chairperson of Yuva Vikas Foundation that works on active citizenship, enterpreneurship and environment. He is the recipient of India Africa Young Visionaries Fellowship 2014 for the development innovation on Convergence led scalability economics in inclusive development named “Gram Nirman”. He has worked with UNICEF and other UN organizations on right to education, youth policy and commons. He aspires to see a favourable ecosystem for the non-profit sectors to thrive and excel the inclusive development agenda for the stste of Odisha.

Executive Committee