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A PIONEERING INS TITUTION IN RURAL MANAGEMENT
a
Institute of Rural Management AnandA pioneering institution in rural management
Institute of Rural Management AnandA pioneering institution in rural management
ContentsTHE INSTITUTE 3
Institutional Vision
Mission
Objectives
Core Values
Quality Policy
PROGRAMMES 4Postgraduate Programme in Rural Management
Fellow Programme in Rural Management
ACTIVITIES 8Management Development Programmes
Research and Consultancy
Publications
Grameen Gyan Kosh
RBI Endowment Unit
Centres of Excellence
CAMPUS FACILITIES 13Library as a Learning Resource
IT Infrastructure
Executive Training and Development Centre
Student Accommodation
Recreation and Cultural Life
INSTITUTIONAL DISTINCTION 15Alumni
Governance
Financial Management and Resource Mobilization
Internal Quality Assurance System
Environment Consciousness
FACULTY PROFILES 17
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Sh. Deep C. Joshi Chairman, IRMAAnand
Sh. T. Nanda KumarChairman National Dairy Development BoardAnand
Sh. S.M. VijayanandAdditional Secretary Department of Rural Development Ministry of Rural Development Government of India New Delhi
Dr. V. ThiruppugazhCommissioner and SecretaryDepartment of Rural DevelopmentGovernment of GujaratGandhinagar
Sh. R.S. SodhiManaging DirectorGujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation LtdAnand
Ms. Priyanka SinghChief ExecutiveSewa Mandir Udaipur
Sh. M.K. MudgalChief General ManagerNational Bank for Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentAhmedabad
Dr. Usha Thorat Former Deputy Governor Reserve Bank of India Mumbai
Prof. Surinder S. JodhkaProfessor of SociologyCentre for the Study of Social SystemsJawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi
Prof. Madhura SwaminathanEconomic Analysis UnitIndian Statistical InstituteBangalore
Dr. Mihir ShahSecretarySamaj Pragati SahayogMadhya Pradesh
Sh. P. SainathRural Affairs EditorThe HinduMumbai
Prof. Madhavi MehtaInstitute of Rural Management Anand
Prof. Pramod Kumar SinghInstitute of Rural Management Anand
Sh. Apoorva OzaChief Executive Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India)Ahmedabad
Sh. Alkesh SharmaJoint SecretaryMinistry of Road Transport and HighwaysNew Delhi
Prof. Jeemol UnniDirector and Member SecretaryInstitute of Rural Management Anand
IRMA Board of Governors
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“Life is a privilege and to waste it would be wrong.
In living this privileged ‘Life’, you must accept responsibility for yourself,
always use your talents to the best of your ability and
contribute somehow to the common good.”
Dr. Verghese Kurien
Founder, IRMA
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Policy Engagement and Communication
Programmes and Activities Postgraduate Programme in Rural Management
Fellow Programme in Rural ManagementManagement Development ProgrammesResearch, Consultancy and Publications
Objectives and Core Values
The Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA),
established in 1979 by the father of the white
revolution Dr. Verghese Kurien, is a pioneering
academic institution in rural management education
and research. It is committed to pursuing excellence
along with creativity and integrity.
The unique strength of IRMA is its concern with
integrating development and management in all
its endeavours and activities. This perspective
sets IRMA apart from other management and
rural development institutions, which are largely
concerned with either management or development
but not both.
Today, IRMA is recognized not only as an institution
of excellence in teaching and research but also for
having successfully created the new discipline of
rural management. Its path-breaking approach is
being emulated by other institutions in India and
abroad. As a premier institution of professional
education and development IRMA has evolved
unique curricula for its various programmes.
Institutional VisionTo make continuous and significant contributions
to the transformation of rural India through
leadership in cutting-edge knowledge creation,
innovations in education,
pursuance of the ethical imperative of sustain-
ability, and
policy-oriented research.
MissionTo promote sustainable, ecologically-friendly, and
equitable socio-economic development of rural
people through professional management.
ObjectivesTo achieve this mission IRMA has set for itself the
following objectives:
Creating a new breed of professional rural
managers with the appropriate ethos and values;
Helping rural organizations and institutions
professionalize their management;
Empowering rural people through self-sustaining
processes;
Creating new rural management knowledge and
theories through action-oriented and problem-
solving research and consultancy;
Influencing public policies.
Core ValuesIn pursuit of its mission IRMA will:
Develop human resources with management
knowledge and competencies appropriate for
governance and development of resources,
enterprises, and institutions meant for rural
communities;
Be transformative in its approach with a focus on
sustainability and equity;
Recognize teaching as an emancipatory and
unifying activity;
Encourage and nurture excellence, creativity,
integrity, and commitment;
Encourage academic freedom and retain a
willingness to experiment with new paradigms
Quality PolicyTo pursue the highest standards of excellence and
relevance in all our activities, namely teaching,
research, consulting, and mid-career/continuing
education, and to remain transparent and
accountable in our core functions through processes
of self-evaluation, reflection, and continuous
improvement.
Institute of Rural Management AnandA pioneering institution in rural management
VisionVisionVisionVision
MissionMission
Programmes, Activities and Centres designed to fulfil IRMA’s Missionary Objectives
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The Postgraduate Programme in Rural Management,
launched in 1980, is meant for college graduates
who wish to take up challenging managerial
responsibilities in the rural sector. PRM is recognized
as equivalent to a Master’s degree by the Association
of Indian Universities (AIU) and is also approved
by the All India Council for Technical Education
(AICTE). Over the last 34 years, 2,300 students
have graduated and are working in a large number
of diverse organizations contributing to rural
development.
The two-year Postgraduate Programme in Rural
Management is the principal mechanism embodying
IRMA’s commitment to its vision, mission, and core
values. The PRM curriculum is the most significant
and enduring contribution of the Institute. The
Institute was founded with the commencement of
the curriculum in rural management. Definition
of the term rural management evolved with the
evolution of IRMA.
True to IRMA’s motto, the Sanskrit words –
‘sa vidya ya vimukataye’ – accompanying IRMA’s
logo offer an emancipatory and empowering
rural management education that recognizes the
need for a synergetic combination of participation,
governance, and management as interacting factors
affecting society, state, market, civil society, and
community-based institutions.
Postgraduate Programme in Rural Management
Students put up an exhibition after their return from village fieldwork.
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Placement
IRMA has a 100% placement record. The
Institute’s comprehensive Placement Programme
is wholeheartedly committed to providing its
IRMA Placement 2014
Agribusiness and Technology 27%
Cooperatives and Associated 22%
Government Agencies 22%
NGOs 11%
Agri and Micro Finance 15%
Social Entrepreneurs 3%
Postgraduate Programme in Rural Management Curricular Structure
Sr. No. Activity Major Emphasis Credits Duration
0. Remedial Classes (for select weak students)
Nil 1 week
1. Induction/Orientation (including village stay of 5 days)
Inculcates institutional values & principles; exposure to villages
Nil 1 week plus
2. Classroom Term 1 Foundation courses 6.5 12 weeks
3. Village Fieldwork Segment First-hand experience of village life and development of skills to interface with rural communities while deepening the experiential knowledge of rural realities
3 8 weeks
4. Classroom Term 2 Functional area plus development courses 7 13 weeks
5. Classroom Term 3 Functional area plus integrative development courses
7 13 weeks
6. Development Internship Segment
Understanding the philosophy and practice of development interventions
3 8 weeks
7. Classroom Term 4 Integrative and specialization courses 7 13 weeks
8. Management Traineeship Segment
Developing practical skills and gain a realistic idea of the managerial functions of rural organizations
4 9 weeks
9. Classroom Term 5 Integrative and specialization courses 6.5 13 weeks
Total 44 90 weeks
Note: 1 credit is equivalent to 30 contact sessions of 70 minutes each and 80-90 hours of work (studies, preparations, assignments, etc.) outside the class.
participants with the advice, mentoring, and support
required for a successful job search. Participants
are encouraged to work in the development sector.
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The Fellow Programme in Rural Management
(FPRM), launched in 2002, is meant for postgraduates
and/or professional college graduates with three
years’ work experience. It is for those wishing to
pursue doctoral-level studies in rural management.
The FPRM has been approved by the AICTE. So far,
22 students have graduated and earned the title
of Fellow, Institute of Rural Management, Anand.
Of these, 18 have held faculty positions in leading
academic institutions of the country.
FPRM has a minimum residency requirement of
three years. It seeks to promote inter-disciplinary/
cross-functional scholarship in the broad field of
rural management. Derived from the Institutional
Mission the overall goals of the programme are
to: promote scholarship and build knowledge in
the field of Rural Management; develop scholars
and teachers in rural management; and stimulate
academic and research work at IRMA.
Fellow Programme in Rural Management
Fellow Programme in Rural Management Curricular Structure
Sr. No. Activity Major Emphasis Credits Duration
1. Induction/Orientation (including village stay of 5 days)
Inculcates institutional values & principles; exposure to villages
Nil 1 week plus
2. Classroom Term 1 Foundation courses 6.5 12 weeks
3. Village Fieldwork Segment First-hand experience of village life and development of skills to interface with rural communities while deepening the experiential knowledge of rural realities
3 8 weeks
4. Classroom Term 2 Functional area plus development courses 7 13 weeks
5. Classroom Term 3 Functional area plus integrative development courses
7 13 weeks
6. Development Internship Segment Understanding the philosophy and practice of development interventions; case study of an organization & its environment
3 8 weeks
7. Classroom Term 4 Doctoral-level courses 6 12 weeks
8. Classroom Term 5 Doctoral-level courses; preparation & presentation of thesis proposals
4 13 weeks
9. Classroom Term 6 Additional courses/readings, if any as determined by TAC Comprehensive Qualifying Examinations; finalization of thesis proposal
13 weeks
10. Fieldwork, thesis writing and submission
1-2 years
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Management Development Programmes (MDPs)
mean the self-actualization of capacity-building skills
and are meant for middle and senior level in-service
managers and officers of the union government,
state governments, NGOs, and cooperatives working
in the area of rural development. IRMA conducts
many MDPs on various themes of development and
Management Development Programmesmanagement ranging in duration from one to six
weeks. So far, IRMA has conducted over 850 MDPs
with an enrolment exceeding over 18,000 managers
and officers. Of late, we have been conducting about
30-40 MDPs every year.
Another core programme, geared entirely towards
the management of voluntary organizations, has
become an important IRMA signet over the years.
Popularly known by its acronym, VOLAG-MAP, the
Management Appreciation Programme for Voluntary
Agencies is targeted at senior functionaries of
voluntary agencies. Participants usually hail from
voluntary organizations of developing countries.
IRMA has trained more than 500 participants in
over 180 NGOs through VOLAG-MAP for the last
20-odd years.
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Research and Consultancy services are a means
of enriching the quality and content of teaching
and training. This continuous upgrade places us
in the enviable position of serving our clientele
more efficiently by helping them identify and
resolve their critical management problems. The
union government, state governments, NGOs,
cooperatives, and national and international donor
agencies are major clients of IRMA. Over the years,
faculty members of IRMA have completed over 700
Research and Consultancyresearch and consultancy studies and assignments.
IRMA, with its domain expertise in several fields
linked to rural management, attracts consultancy
offers from a large number of agencies. These include
offers in the thematic areas of Livelihoods and Micro
Finance, Natural Resources and Environment, Local
Governance and Panchayati Raj, Rural Development,
Marketing, and Management.
Publications The Committee on Research, Publications and
Seminars – more popularly known as CORPAS –
manages the Institute’s publication programme
aimed at propagating its research work. Its pre-
publication format incorporates the Working Paper
focusing mainly on research-in-progress and is
freely downloadable from the IRMA website. It is
also a forum for sounding out research ideas and
research work and for acquiring valuable feedback
and advice.
Besides, the IRMA faculty publishes its work in
leading national and international journals and
presents papers at national and international
conferences.
International Journal of Rural ManagementThe International Journal of Rural Management
(IJRM) happens to be the first international journal
with an exclusive focus on rural management.
Emphasis, therefore, is on the management and
organization of rural ventures and community-
based organizations. IJRM publishes research
articles, field notes, and book reviews pertaining
to rural management and development. The journal
is an initiative of IRMA and is published by Sage
India http://www.sagepub.in
The IJRM website may be accessed at:
http://irm.sagepub.com
Grameen Gyan KoshThe Grameen Gyan Kosh (GGK) is a web repository
of rural knowledge showcasing the latest and in-
depth information on issues related to rural life.
The journal not only informs about rural knowledge
but is also a resource for promoting awareness
about rural India. It also provides a platform for
discussing ‘real life’ issues in the rural context.
This unique electronic ‘warehouse’ consists of
published and unpublished reference material,
research reports, analyses pertaining to cases
and issues, and different narratives of rural life.
http://www.ggk-irma.in/
RBI Endowment UnitThe Reserve Bank of India Endowment Unit
website contains information with regard to past
and upcoming events, workshops, publications,
working papers, a discussion forum, and posts to
the Rural Development @ IRMA blog. It is a useful
and informative portal on issues pertaining to the
RBI Endowment Unit, which was established at
IRMA with the objective of providing consultancy
services to rural enterprises and organizations in
cooperative and development sectors.
www.ruraldev-irma.in
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Major Emphasis
Leadership in cutting-edge knowledge creationCreating new rural management knowledge and theories
Action-oriented and problem-solving Research and consultancy
Policy-oriented research for influencing public policies
Thematic Knowledge Products
Knowledge Management through Grameen Gyan Kosh
Policy Engagement and Communication
Centres of Excellence
Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods Centre for Public Policy and Governance
Centre for Rural Infrastructure and Corporate Social ResponsibilityCentre for Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprises
Centre for Rural-Urban Dynamics
of resources and institutions for the promotion
of sustainable livelihoods’. Its broad research
agenda embraces institutional governance and
management along with resource governance
and management.
The CSL conducts focused research on multi-
level livelihood security, employment and skill
development, food security, water and sanitation,
climate change adoption, changes in occupational
structure, enterprise development, and poverty
alleviation.
b. Centre for Public Policy and GovernanceThis centre has been conducting research on
policies and issues in governance related to
resources and institutions. The centre also
Centres of Excellence fulfilling IRMA’s Missionary Objectives
Fulfillin Missiona y O ectivesFulfilling g Missionaryy ObjjectivesFulfillingg Missionaryy Objjectives
In order to boost its research portfolio and encourage
inter-disciplinary research the Institute set up five
Centres of Excellence in 2013. Each centre is
constituted of faculty members hailing from different
disciplines. These centres are described below.
a. Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods IRMA has made long-standing contribution to
the literature and scholarship on livelihoods
while shaping many practitioners in the field for
livelihood promotion. The Centre for Sustainable
Livelihoods (CSL) has been trying to build on this
process. The CSL recognizes the importance of
building competencies through integral learning,
professionalization, trans-disciplinary research
and conscientization for pursuing its mission.
The CSL’s mission is ‘To establish best practices
in participatory management and governance
Centres of Excellence
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undertakes training and capacity-building
programmes related to decentralization, conflict
resolution, and management issues in the context
of local-level governance and decentralized
planning.
c. Centre for Rural Infrastructure and Corporate Social Responsibility This centre’s research focuses on rural
infrastructure and its implications on rural
lives and sustainable rural livelihoods from the
standpoint of financial, social, economic, and
environmental implications. It also directs its
research and knowledge-creation efforts towards
encouraging sustainable business practices in all
sectors of organizational efforts that minimize
negative externalities while promoting social
welfare and providing leadership in channelizing
organizational and societal efforts for mutually
cooperative and beneficial interfaces at all levels.
Besides, it explores intervention possibilities
available for Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) funds along with reports on diverse CSR
practices in India.
d. Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and EnterprisesThis centre conducts research on the inception,
growth, issues, and impediments to social
entrepreneurship and enterprises while promoting
the efforts of individuals and organizations
towards establishing sustainable organizations
with the primary objective of creating social
surpluses over organizational and individual
surplus. It also promotes entrepreneurship
among IRMAns and supports them through
networking with other organizations to create
viable organizations oriented towards the overall
mission of IRMA while seeking interfaces with
Government programmes to promote social
entrepreneurship and enterprises.
e. Centre for Rural-Urban Dynamics This centre observes many problems of rural
and urban spaces as part of the larger process
of change and development in human society
and the economy. Hence, it looks towards
solutions that are integrative and holistic
instead of being limited to either rural or urban
spaces or institutions. Issues addressed include:
structural, cultural, and institutional issues in
rural transformation and urbanization; status of
agriculture and peasantry; non-farm sector in
rural and urban areas; informal labour in urban
and rural areas; urban governance, planning
and development; urban and rural services and
supplies; rural-urban linkages including migration
and remittances; and urbanization and well-being
along with other emerging and relevant issues.
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Campus FacilitiesIRMA boasts a sprawling 60-acre lush green
campus, world-class infrastructure, an excellent
library, fully computerized facilities, 24x7 internet
connectivity, and modern teaching aids. The
campus is fully residential. It is equipped with
student hostels, a mess, lecture halls, seminar rooms,
faculty and administrative offices, an auditorium, an
executive training and development centre, faculty
and staff housing, a dispensary, and other support
facilities. Being a high-performing knowledge
institution its users adequately use IRMA’s
infrastructure and knowledge resources.
Library as a Learning Resource: IRMA
has an excellent library housed in a spacious three-
storeyed building (2,325 sq m), which supports
the teaching and research programmes of the
Institute. The library services are fully automated;
the LibSys software is used for searching, reporting,
and various other functions. The IRMA library has
a comprehensive full-text databases of journals,
namely EBSCO (a package of six different
subject areas), ABI/Inform (Proquest), JSTOR,
Elsevier, and Sage. These, together, provide
full-text databases of 15,624 journals in subject
areas including management, finance, marketing,
organizational science and strategy, information
technology, e-governance, sociology, environment,
and gender.
CMIE, Indiastat.com, EPWRF and DELNET databases
provide financial and socio-economic databases,
respectively, in electronic form to the students,
faculty, and research staff. The print collection of
the library, at present, includes 41,440 books apart
from consulting, MTS, OTS, and fieldwork reports.
A huge collection of video films and microforms is
also available. The library subscribes to about 284
print journals/periodicals.
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IT Infrastructure: IRMA’s comprehensive state-
of-the-art computer centre caters to its community
through an intranet facility. The intranet provides
online services for the effective administration of
academic functions. The computer centre manages
over 600-odd hosts in the network. IRMA enjoys
uninterrupted internet services through 45-Mbps
leased fibre-optic links availed through BSNL and
VSNL, with failover facilities. IRMA has a technology-
intensive network providing mail, file, and print
services on campus. A virtual office has been set
up on campus allowing students, faculty, research
scholars and staff to share browser-supported notice
boards and facilitate information exchange.
Executive Training and Development Centre: ETDC has 49 fully furnished AC rooms and
four fully furnished AC suites for MDP participants.
These are also used for accommodating visiting and
guest faculty.
Student Accommodation: Owing to its two
fully residential programmes IRMA offers residential
facilities to all its students.
Recreation and Cultural Life: Our 376-seater
air-conditioned auditorium showcasing the major
activities of the Institute has an excellent audio-visual
projection system, which is used by students and the
Institute for conducting programmes. The IRMA staff
club organizes various cultural programmes, sports
activities, and film shows at the Institute. All PRM
students are associate members of the IRMA staff
club. Events like Jatra and Udaan, besides being fun,
test the creative potential of our students. Concerts
and recitals by eminent artistes are organized by
SPIC-MACAY every year.
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GovernanceThe Governing Board decides the broad strategy of
the Institute encompassing all aspects of academic,
administrative, and financial matters. The Governing
Board has delegated its authority on academic
matters to the Academic Council, which debates
academic matters in detail while providing strategic
inputs to the Governing Board.
The Institute has a culture of deliberative and
decentralized decision-making in the context of
crafting strategic and operational plans and policy
formulation. Every Programme/Activity Coordinator
has the responsibility of initiating deliberative
processes stimulating the Programme/Activity
level mission. Thus, the policy statements and plans
remain tightly bound with the overall mission of
the Institute.
AlumniIRMA has a strong alumni group comprising well
over 2,300 members. Graduates of the two-year
PRM programme belong to an Alumni Association
through which they maintain close contacts with
the Institute. The association maintains its own
homepage on the net and has various chapters all
over the country and abroad. It also brings out a
bi-monthly newsletter.
The Institute also promotes a culture of participative
management. Faculty members and the activity heads
of administrative staff including administration,
finance, IT, estates, and the library are involved in
policy formulation and participatory management
of the Institute.
A well-placed system of programme coordinators
(PRM, FPRM, CORPAS, and MDP) and coordinators
of the five Centres of Excellence has led to an
ethos of strong leadership team-building geared
towards quality work and a wider outreach. The
administrative machinery is run by a team of young
professionals in the areas of Finance, Administration,
and Information Technology.
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Internal Quality Assurance System
Environment Consciousness
In line with our quality policy, the PRM, FPRM,
CORPAS Committee, and the Academic
Council of IRMA have been playing a vital role
in setting standards and controlling and monitoring
activities to ensure that standards are met and
achieved. The Academic Council debates academic
matters in great detail, audits the quality of academic
programmes, and provides strategic inputs to the
Governing Board. It is expected of the Internal
Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) to take up the task
of academic auditing, monitoring each activity
on quality basis, and reporting the same to the
Academic Council and the Governing Board.
In order to develop a shared understanding of
standards and quality the primary responsibility
of setting standards and monitoring activities lies
with the PRM and FPRM Committees. The IQAC
and Academic Council take an outside view of the
standards and quality.
IRMA has a 60-acre verdant campus
with a 57% area under tree cover
besides being home to herbaceous
and shrub species growing in
many areas. About 20% of the area
constitutes lawns and playgrounds,
which means that a 77% area
supports biotic production while
serving as a natural recharge zone.
The management has banned the
use of chemical fertilizers and
chemical pesticides on the campus.
The Institute has been replacing
old electrical, conventional light
fittings by CFL, T5 and LED lamps
in a phased manner. Other electrical
equipment is also being replaced
gradually by star-rated equipment
for energy saving purposes. New
classroom and hostel buildings have
been designed to receive natural
lighting.
Financial Management and Resource MobilizationThe Institute has a strong, rigorous, and participatory
process of budget preparation. The accounts
department calls for submissions of budget
estimates from all the departments and prepares,
thereafter, a consolidated budget for the Institute
as a whole. These budget estimates, discussed
with the faculty and Director, are placed before
the Board-appointed Finance Committee. The
Finance Committee deliberates on the estimates
and recommends the same after changes, if any,
to the Governing Board for approval. The Finance
Committee and the Governing Board review the
budget on a quarterly basis.
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Faculty Profiles
Anand Venkatesh ([email protected]) holds
a Ph.D. from the University of Mumbai. He has
19 years’ experience in teaching and research. His
key area of research is transportation economics.
Projects handled by him include disability access,
productivity and efficiency analysis, econometric
modeling of transport services, market selection, etc.
He has been associated with the University of Pretoria
where he conducted research on modeling rural
travel behaviour. He has undertaken Management
Development Programmes in marketing research,
survey analytics, data management skills, etc.
Asmita H Vyas ([email protected]) is a Fellow
of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of
India and a law graduate. She has over 17 years’
experience in teaching courses on financial
accounting and auditing. Taxation and Commercial
laws are her other areas of interest. She has been
associated with KBS, Vapi, and is visiting faculty
with various institutions including the study centres
of Gujarat at ICAI of India and ICWA. Dr. Vyas has
also had exposure to the industry as a chartered
accountant. She has presented papers at several
national and international conferences.
Atulan Guha ([email protected]) holds a Ph.D.
from JNU and is a development economist
with about nine years’ experience in research,
advisory assignments, teaching, and training. He
specializes in the areas of economic policy and
theory, public finance, labour and employment, and
regional development. He has a strong background
in empirical research including time series and panel
data-based econometrics and survey-based studies.
Dr. Guha has authored many research articles and
a book. He was associated with the Kerala State
Planning Board and has helped prepare the 11th
five year plan for the state.
Debiprasad Mishra ([email protected]) holds
a Master’s Degree in Political Studies from
the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and
is a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Management,
Ahmedabad. Most of his recent work has been on
governance and management of public and not-
for-profit organizations, decentralization and local
governance, and marketing and society. He has
over 23 years’ teaching and research experience.
Dr. Mishra has been serving on the governing boards
and advisory committees of various NGOs and has
done several consulting assignments for national
and international organizations.
Girish K Agrawal ([email protected]) is a
B.E. (Mechanical), MBA (Finance), and Ph.D.
(Strategy-IITB). His doctoral study on resource-
based theory was acknowledged as a significant
contribution by Dr. J. Barney. Dr. Agrawal has over 16
years’ experience in teaching and executive training.
He has been associated with the Indian Institute
of Management, Indore; Indian Institute of Forest
Management, Bhopal; and IBS, Indore. He has to his
credit several research papers and publications in
peer-reviewed international and national journals
and international conferences in the area of strategy.
Harekrishna Misra (hkmishra@irma.
ac.in) (Ph.D. Utkal University, Bhubaneswar).
Dr. Misra has about 32 years’ experience in the
industry and academia in IT infrastructure
management and related areas. His current research
interests include e-governance, information systems
management in development organizations,
e-Business for rural enterprises, and ICT-enabled
value chain in rural enterprises. He has published
widely with national and international journals
and presented papers at national and international
conferences. He has been a member of several
Advisory Committees.
Hari K Nagarajan ([email protected])
is Professor and RBI Chair in Rural Economics
at IRMA. Formerly a Senior Fellow at the National
Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER),
New Delhi, he holds a Ph.D. in Economics from
the University of Oklahoma, Norman. He has also
taught at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM),
Bangalore, and the University of Oklahoma, Norman.
His research has primarily been in the area of rural
development and his publications have appeared
in national and international journals. A consultant
with the IFAD, World Bank, and SEBI, his teaching
interests are related to economic development and
applied microeconomic theory.
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Hitesh Bhatt ([email protected]),
B.Tech. (IIT Delhi), M.S. (Georgia Tech).
Prior to re-joining IRMA in 2010 he was head of
the Centre for Management Studies at Dharmsinh
Desai University in Nadiad, Gujarat. He has 18 years’
industrial experience, eight years of which were as
CEO/Country Head of large organizations in India
and Tanzania. He started his academic career in
1995 with IRMA and has since been involved with
teaching, training, and consulting in diverse areas.
Having trained different cadres of people in various
organizations, his current areas of interest include
quality management, operations management,
project management, individual and organizational
effectiveness, and soft skill development.
HS Shylendra ([email protected]) holds a Ph.D.
from ISEC, Bangalore. Dr. Shylendra is an
economist by training. His areas of interest and
specialization include development theory and
practice, rural and micro finance, rural development
and livelihood, and local governance. He has many
publications to his credit. He combines teaching
and training with his research experience spanning
over 22 years.
Ila Patel ([email protected]) holds a Ph.D. from
Stanford University and is involved with the
social sciences. She has over 19 years’ experience
in teaching, training, research and consultancy at
IRMA. Her current areas of research include adult
literacy and basic education, local governance and
education, gender equity and development, and
corporate social responsibility and development.
She has undertaken consultancy work with several
international agencies, government organizations,
and NGOs. Dr. Patel has several publications to her
credit.
Indranil De ([email protected]) A Ph.D.
from JNU Dr. De’s areas of interest include
quantitative techniques, delivery of basic services,
local governance and rural development. He worked
earlier as Assistant Professor of Economics at BITS
Pilani. He has also worked as Assistant Professor with
the International Management Institute, Kolkata.
Dr. De has also been associated with the National
Council of Applied Economic Research and Indian
Council for Research in International Economic
Relations. His research work mainly addresses
socio-economic developmental issues and related
government policies. As Assistant Manager at HSBC
Technology and Services he has contributed to
Propensity Modeling and Marketing Mix Modeling.
Jeemol Unni ([email protected]) holds a Ph.D.
and an M.Phil. in Economics. She undertook
post doctoral research at the Economic Growth
Centre, Yale University, USA, and was RBI Chair
Professor in Economics at IRMA between 2009
and 2011. Dr. Unni is on the Board of Governors
of Women in Informal Employment, Globalizing
and Organizing, UK, and on the editorial board
of the Indian Journal of Labour Economics, New
Delhi. She was an ILO consultant with the National
Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized
Sector, New Delhi. Her research interests lie in labour
economics, informal sector, education economics,
social policy, and gender. She has several papers
and books to her credit.
Madhavi Mehta ([email protected]) is a
Fellow, XLRI, Jamshedpur, and Academy of
HRD, Ahmedabad. She has been a researcher, teacher,
trainer, and consultant for close to 21 years. Dr. Mehta
has been involved with the designing and assessment
of various HRD systems including performance
management and compensation restructuring
in NGOs and cooperatives. Organization design
and restructuring is another area of interest.
She has conducted/coordinated several training
programmes for enhancing managerial effectiveness
and development of HRD systems in cooperatives
and development organizations. Her areas of interest
include leadership, organization development,
capacity building, managerial effectiveness, and
HRD.
Monark Bag ([email protected]) holds a
Ph.D. in Engineering (Jadavpur University)
and an MBA in Information Technology Management
(Indian Institute of Engineering, Science, and
Technology). A recipient of the ‘UGC Meritorious
Fellowship’, he has taught at IMT Ghaziabad and
the Indian Institute of Information Technology,
Allahabad. His research interests include expert
system, control chart pattern recognition, and quality
control among others. Dr. Bag has published many
papers with reputed journals and was awarded the
best research paper award for three consecutive
years by the Society of Operations Management.
He is a regular reviewer with various reputed
international journals.
A PIONEERING INS TITUTION IN RURAL MANAGEMENT
19
Mukul Kumar ([email protected]) is a
development practitioner turned academic
scholar with a vast practical experience of working
with issues of poverty and livelihoods affecting
rural communities behind him. His current research
interests include development, human poverty,
public action, livelihoods, rural transformation,
urbanization, and social theory. He has published
with reputed journals and has had longstanding
experience of training development workers,
managers, and government employees on a diverse
range of issues. He has coordinated many training
programmes for both national and international
clients.
MV Durga Prasad ([email protected])
holds a Ph.D. in the Operations Research area
(Game Theory/Mathematical Programming) from
the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He has 23
years’ professional experience in teaching, research,
executive training, and consulting. He has to his
credit several research papers, publications in peer
reviewed international and national journals and
international conferences in the area of operations
research. He has done consulting work with
several organizations. His areas of interest include
logistics and supply chain management, operations
research including game theory, and mathematical
programming.
Nivedita Kothiyal ([email protected])
holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Management
from the Institute of Management, Nirma University
of Science and Technology, Ahmedabad. She has
over 12 years’ experience in academics, consultancy,
research, and training with specialization in human
resource management, organizational development,
industrial relations, and negotiations. Her research
interests lie in the areas of Work and Employment,
Gender issues in Management, Work-Life Balance,
Diversity Management including Disability,
Workforce Development, Decent Work, and
Corporate Social Responsibility & Development. She
has presented papers at national and international
conferences, workshops, seminars, and symposia.
Paresh J Bhatt ([email protected]) is a Fellow
Member of the Institute of Cost Accountants
of India and a Certified Management Accountant
from IMA-USA. An industry practitioner turned
academician, his core area of teaching is cost and
management accounting. He has worked with
various industrial organizations in public and private
sectors in the areas of finance management, financial
accounting, cost and management accounting, to
name a few. Before joining IRMA in October 2007 he
worked as General Manager-Finance and Accounts at
M/s. UPL EE Ltd, Vadodara (India). He is also visiting
faculty member with many prestigious management
institutes of the country.
Pramod K Singh ([email protected]) holds
an M.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Environmental
Sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi. Dr. Singh has over 15 years’ experience in
teaching and research in the areas of governance
and management of natural resources, livelihoods,
environment and development planning, climate
change adaptation, and geoinformatics for
development. He has published widely in the above
areas. He has completed over 25 research studies
sponsored by reputed international and national
agencies. He teaches courses like Rural Livelihood
Systems, and Natural Resource and Sustainability to
postgraduate and doctoral students.
Pratik Modi ([email protected]) is an MBA
from Sardar Patel University, Vidyanagar, and
Ph.D. (fellow of IRMA) from the Institute of Rural
Management Anand, where he is a faculty member
in the marketing area. He has also worked as a faculty
member with the University of Portsmouth Business
School, UK. He has about 10 years’ work experience
in industry, academics, research, and consulting.
He has published research papers in reputed
international marketing journals and has presented
at several reputed international conferences in the
US and Europe. Dr. Modi has also served as Editor
of the International Journal of Rural Management.
Preeti Priya ([email protected]) holds a Ph.D.
in Management from Sardar Patel University,
Gujarat. She has developed a comprehensive
model for measuring private label proneness of
consumers in organized retail as part of her doctoral
study. Dr. Priya has around 13 years’ experience in
academics, research, and industry. Prior to joining
IRMA she was with Nielsen where she was involved
with various market modeling projects related to
brand share prediction, decomposition of market
shares, marketing mix strategies, retail tracking of
modern retail, exit points, tourist centres, etc. Her
current research interests lie in market modeling and
analytics, consumer choice processes, consumer
INS TITUTE OF RURAL MAGAGEMENT ANAND
20
well-being measurement, brand management, and
market-based solutions for poverty alleviation.
Rakesh Arrawatia ([email protected]) is
an Assistant Professor at IRMA in the area of
Finance. He is a Ph.D. from IIT Kharagpur and has
an MBA along with a B.Tech. from from NIT, Surat.
Prior to joining IRMA he had worked with IMT,
Ghaziabad. His research interests lie in Public Policy,
Banking, and Competition Policy.
Rakesh Saxena ([email protected]) holds
a Ph.D. in Economics from IIT Kanpur. His
areas of interest include managerial economics,
cost-benefit-analysis, formulation and appraisal
of rural development projects, environment and
natural resource economics, and participatory rural
appraisal. He has conducted teaching, training,
research and consultancy in the above areas. His
focus has been largely on agriculture, forestry,
livestock, and dairy sectors. He has been with IRMA
since 1988.
Ram Manohar Vikas ([email protected]) is
an Assistant Professor of Marketing at IRMA.
He is a Ph.D. and MBA from the Indian Institute
of Technology, Kanpur. Before joining academics
Dr. Vikas had worked with the construction and
consultancy industry for 13 years. His research
interest is centred on Consumer Culture with
emphasis on subaltern consumers. He has also taught
at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. Dr.
Vikas has published with international management
journals including the Journal of Macromarketing,
Consumption, Markets, and Culture and Advances
in Consumer Research.
Shyam Singh ([email protected]) is an Assistant
Professor in Social Sciences at IRMA. He holds
a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Institute for
Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore.
His research interests include governance and
development, social policy, social exclusion and
caste and village politics. He has published widely
on issues like politics of public policy, governance
(urban & rural), social services, and social exclusion.
Dr. Singh has nearly five years’ experience in research
and teaching.
SN Biswas ([email protected]) (Ph.D.
University of Allahabad) has over 22 years’
experience in teaching, executive training, and
consulting. He has been a consultant with several
NGOs, government development organizations,
cooperatives, and educational institutions in the
areas of institutional development, executive
selection, consumer education, rural banking, etc. He
has trained several managers from India and abroad.
He has also conducted team building programmes
in Australia and Afghanistan. A visiting faculty
with many institutions of repute, Dr. Biswas has
authored several research papers in organizational
behaviour, human resource management, and rural
development management. His present areas of
interest include leadership, empowerment, and
team building.
SR Asokan ([email protected]) has a Ph.D.
in Economics from Gujarat University. He has
22 years of research and eight years of teaching
experience behind him. He has co-authored eight
books and has more than 30 research papers. His
areas of interest include agribusiness, rural finance,
rural marketing, and institutional innovations.
Vanita Yadav ([email protected]) is a
Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow (MIT, USA),
Ph.D. (FPM - MDI, Gurgaon) and has over eight
years’ experience in research, academia, and
industry. She has published/presented several
research papers in refereed international journals,
conferences, and books. Two of her case studies
have been registered with the Harvard Business
School publications online and Asia Case Research
Centre. She has worked on research projects funded
by the European Union (supported by NASSCOM,
India) and institutional seed-funded projects. Her
doctoral research work won the ‘Best Paper Award’
at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Her
teaching, research and consulting interests include
managing innovation, entrepreneurship, strategic
management, and qualitative research methodology.
Vivek Pandey ([email protected]) is an applied
economist. He has completed his doctoral
studies (Ph.D.) from the Michigan State University,
USA. His research interests include Corporate
Sustainability Strategy & CSR related policies,
institutional economics and applied econometrics.
“India’s place in the sun would come from the
partnership between wisdom of its rural
people and skill of its professionals.”Dr. Verghese Kurien
Founder, IRMA, after accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award
at ET Awards for Corporate Excellence in 2001
Institute of Rural Management Anand
PO Box 60, Anand - 388 001, Gujarat, INDIA
Phone: (02692) 260391 / 260181
email: [email protected]: www.irma.ac.in I www.ggk-irma.ac.in