Profile of Guests
Sri. Jairam Ramesh
Honorable Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests, Government of India
Shri.Jairam Ramesh has been an elected member of the Indian Parliament representing Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha since June 2004. Prior to this portfolio, he was Advisor to the Finance Minister during 1996-98, Advisor to the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission during 1992-94 and Advisor to the Prime Minister in 1991. He served in the Planning Commission, Ministry of Industry and other economic departments of Indian Government.
He studied public management at Carnegie Mellon University during 1975-77. He thereafter spent a year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) studying technology policy, economics, engineering and management as part of the newly-established inter-disciplinary technology policy programme. His undergraduate degree is in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai in 1975. In 2001, IIT Mumbai presented him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
He has authored a number of key government reports in areas as diverse as energy, technology, capital goods, industrial policy and telecom. He serves on the boards of a number of public institutions in India and abroad. He has been a founding member of the Indian School of Business promoted by McKinsey in Hyderabad.
Sri. Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy
Honorable Chief Minister
Government of Andhra Pradesh
From a Student leader and MLA to Chief Whip, Legislative Assembly Speaker to Chief Minister, his was a steady journey of success. The young and dynamic Congress leader, Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy took over as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh at a most crucial juncture. He gets the onerous responsibility to lead the destiny of the most progressive State--Andhra Pradesh with high expectations.
Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy was born on 13th September, 1960 at Hyderabad. Mr. Reddy did his graduation in Commerce from Nizam College and LL.B from Osmania University.
He is a four-time Member of Legislative Assembly. He was Govt. Chief Whip for five years (2004-09) and then Speaker of the Assembly for one and half turbulent years (May, 2009 to November, 2010). He also served as member of the Public Undertakings Committee and Assurances Committee. He is a leader who knows the ground realities and people's problems since he toured extensively in the State and moved with the people and always tried to solve their problems.
His aim is to make Andhra Pradesh the best industrial and investment destination in the country. His target is to see that the benefit of all welfare schemes reach the genuine beneficiary, particularly the poorest of the poor. He is friend of the farmer and does everything for them and at the same time provides priority for the welfare of the Women, SC, ST, BC and Minorities.
Smt. VAKITI SUNITHA LAXMA REDDY
Born on 5.04.1968, she studied B.Sc. (B.Z.C.) from Osmania University, Hyderabad. She has been in active politics. She was elected as MLA from Narsapur Constituency of Medak District consecutively three times i.e. during 1999, 2004 & 2009. She was Chairperson, Committee on Welfare of Women, Child & Disabled persons, A.P. Legislative Assembly She was previously Minister for Minor Irrigation, Lift Irrigation, APSIDC, Ground Water Department and WALAMTARI.
Presently, she is Minister for Indira Kranthi Patham, Pensions, Self Help Groups, Women Development, Child Welfare, Disabled Welfare & Juvenile Welfare.
Dr. D.Veerendra Heggade
Dharmadhikari, Dharmasthala, Karnataka
Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRP), the poverty eradication programme conceived by Shri Veerendra Heggade was commissioned in 1982 and has encompassed all the 81 villages of Belthangady District, covering 18,000 families. The Beneficiaries are the poorest among the poor. In 1995 the SKDRP bagged the FICCI award for its outstanding achievements.
Shri Veerendra Heggade has established many new experimental and contemporary educational institutions. He has to his credit set up four higher primary schools, four high schools, 12 colleges and 12 other Institutions. The Trust that he promoted was instrumental in establishing a number of healthcare Institutions specialized in ancient and modern systems of medicine caters to the needs of under privileged.
In April 1993 he was honoured with the title ‘Rajarshi’ by Dr.Shankar Dayal Sharma, President of India. For his social work in 1985, the Government of Karnataka honoured him with ‘Rajyotsava Award’. Several Religious Mutts have conferred honourific titles such as ‘Dharmarathna’, ‘Dharmabhushana’, ‘Paropakara Dhurandara’ and ‘Abhinava Chavundaraya’. Public Relation Society of India, Bangalore honoured Shree Heggade ‘Man of the Year’. In 1994 he was conferred with ‘Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award’. Mangalore University honoured him with a Doctorate causa honoris.
Smt. Usha Thorat
Director, Centre for Advanced Financial Research and Learning (CAFRAL) Reserve Bank of India
Ms Usha Thorat served the Reserve Bank of India for nearly four decades. She retired as the Deputy Governor of RBI, a post which she held for five years. As Deputy Governor, her specific responsibilities included banking regulation and supervision, rural and urban cooperative banks and currency management. Till she relinquished office, she represented the Reserve Bank of India on the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS). The other important positions held by Ms. Thorat during her tenure as Deputy Governor included Member on the Board of Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Chairperson of the Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited, Chairperson of the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (2005-09) and Director on the Board of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (2005'09).
Besides banking regulation/supervision, rural/urban cooperative banking, deposit insurance and currency management, she has rich experience in the areas of foreign exchange and reserves management, debt management of central and state governments, development and regulation of money, forex and government securities markets, rural planning and credit, cooperative banking, customer service and grievance redressal, and payment and settlement systems. She was also the Appellate Authority under the Right to Information Act, 2005 as well as under the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006. She has played a key role in training and capacity building, both in the RBI and banks, as Chairperson of the College of Agricultural Banking and the Reserve Bank’s Staff College, besides serving as a Member of Faculty at the latter.
Sri. T. Vijay Kumar I.A.S
Joint Secretary (SGSY)
Director – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)
Ministry of Rural Development
Government of India
Joined Government service (Indian Administrative Service) in 1983, and was allotted Andhra Pradesh state. In 27 years of work, more than 20 years have been in Rural development. For 10 years, from 2000 - 2010, was heading an autonomous society of the State Govt., Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (S.E.R.P) responsible for implementing a state wide poverty eradication programme with an outlay of over $500 million. Through this programme, 10 million women ( 50 million population), representing 90% of the rural poor women, and covering all villages in A.P have been organized, and their grassroots organizations have been federated into village, sub-district and district level organizations. Through their organizations are accessing knowledge, resources and networks to take them out of poverty.
For the last one year in Govt. of India as Jonit Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development and Mission Director, National Rural Livelihoods Mission, charged with the responsibility of rolling out a nation wide poverty eradication programme based on social mobilization and empowerment of rural poor. Over the next 10 years, this programme with an outlay of over $ 10 billion, will reach out to 350 million rural poor.
Sri R.Subrahmanyam, I.A.S
Principal Secretary – Rural Development, GoAP
He studied BA Economics from Madras Christian College, Chennai and MA (& M Phil) in International politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He studied MBA in International Business from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. Studied MSc in macro-economics from University of Bradford UK on Commonwealth Fellowship
He is working as Principal Secretary, Rural Development department Government of AP. He worked as Commissioner Weaker Section Housing and MD of AP State Housing Corporation implementing the INDIRAMMA housing programme aimed at creating a ‘hut-free’ State. He worked as Director in Ministry of Textiles in Govt of India in Delhi; Director of School education; District Collector of Hyderabad and East Godavari Dts.
Sri. Arvind Kumar I.A.S
Joint Secretary (Financial Services)
Ministry of Finance, Government of India
Shri. Arvind Kumar is a 1991 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. He is holding a MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. He is currently the Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services (Ministry of Finance). Earlier he was working as Director, Policy in Department of Food & Public Distribution and he served as the Commissioner, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries department. He has earlier worked as District Collector Hyderabad and Khammam in Andhra Pradesh. He has done BA (hons) in Economics from St Stephens' Delhi and MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. He did Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, USA in 2007 and a course on "Leadership and Globalization" from London school of Economics & Political Science more popular as LSE, London.
Dr. Humaira Islam
Founder Executive Director. Shakti Foundation. BANGLADESH
Humaira Islam is the Founder Executive Director of the Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women, a widely acknowledged and successful micro finance institution. Ms Islam founded the Shakti Foundation in 1992. The foundation is committed to the economic and social empowerment of women living in the slums and squatters of urban cities through credit and savings programmes. Ms Islam is responsible for policy formulation, administration and management of the organisation and its projects. She is a Fellow of ASHOKA, an international organisation for social entrepreneurship, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Women's World Banking (WWB), Treasurer of the Executive Board for the International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI) and a member of Academic Council of East West University, Dhaka. Ms Islam was also involved in a special task force, commissioned by the Planning Commission of the Bangladeshi Ministry of Planning to look into social implications of urbanisation. Ms Islam has presented a number of papers at international conferences concerning micro credit and in other areas of her expertise.
Smt. Angoori Lakshmi Sivakumari
Member of Legislative Council
Andhra Pradesh
Smt. Angoori Lakshmi Sivakumari hails from East Godavari district. She had to quit school in class VI a decade ago, as she was married off. Now a mother of three children, Sivakumari recently passed the Secondary School Certificate examination through AP Open School. She became the leader of SHG in her native Mallavaram village at the age of 18 and went on to become the district-level president of the SHGs. She did not confine herself as a facilitator for women to secure bank linkage worth of Rs. 50 lakhs and turned an inspirational leader when she focused on recovery of the loans and their timely repayment. She motivated her group members to take up a micro-enterprise of Leaf plates and Palm fiber making. While continuing her intense efforts in promoting the SHG movement in the district, she led the anti-arrack movement in her village, partly driven by the hardship she herself was witness to. The movement finally culminated in ban on liquor sale in the area. Valuing her commitment and contributions, the Governer of Andhra Pradesh, nominated her to the Legislative Council to echo the voices of the voiceless.
PLENARY SPEAKERS
M.P. Vasimalai
Executive Director, DHAN Foundation
Mr. M.P. Vasimalai, Executive Director of DHAN Foundation is a post graduate in Agriculture and a management graduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He has over three decades of experience in development work and one of the key people in setting up Professionally Aided Development Action (PRADAN). He was instrumental in setting up DHAN Foundation in 1997. He has specialised in community organisation, designing development interventions in the fields of natural resource management, livelihood promotion and institutional development. He has traveled extensively within and outside India and has participated/ presented papers on these themes. He is also holding various positions in national and international forums, working groups, task forces and missions of Central and State governments on these themes. He was instrumental in promoting various network organisations. His areas of interest are institution building, leadership development and promoting various development themes for poverty reduction.
Sri. B. Rajsekhar, I.A.S
Chief Executive officer
Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP)
A rural development specialist, Rajsekhar Budithi belongs to the 1992 batch Indian Administrative Service, Andhra Pradesh cadre. He is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering and obtained Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. He has focused his career on developing innovative systems and institutional frameworks to improve the lives of vulnerable populations. He currently oversees the Society for the Elimination of Rural Poverty, which supports self-help groups providing employment to over 10 million rural poor women. Earlier he served as the Project Director, Andhra Pradesh District Poverty Initiatives Project, and subsequently served as the Team Leader, HIV/AIDS Young Peoples Initiatives, UNICEF. He served as the District Collector of Nellore District in Andhra Pradesh during the Tsunami disaster in 2005 and successfully handled relief and rehabilitation. He was a Director and Additional Secretary, Department of Irrigation, Government of Andhra Pradesh and served as the Chief of Staff to the Minister of State for Commerce and Power, New Delhi.
‘Padmashree’ Aloysius P. Fernandez
Chairman, NABARD Financial Services Limited (NABFINS)
Conferred with ‘Padmashree’, one of the highest civilian awards in 2000 by the Government of India, Shri Fernandez’s qualifications include M. A., L.Ph. and B.PH (University of Louvain, Belgium), special Diploma in Development studies from University of Oxford, U.K., Diploma in Sociology and Research Methodology, from University of Louvain, Belgium. He has been the Executive Director of MYRADA, a premier NGO of India for nearly 25 years. He was closely associated with NABARD’s SHG Bank linkage programme right from its inception in 1986-87. He has been a member of various National and State level committees like the High Power Expert Committee on IRDP appointed by RBI, Committee for consultations on Rural Credit set up by RBI/NABARD, Member, Advisory Committee for Reconstruction after Maharashtra Earthquake, Member, Bangalore University Senate etc. He was a Director on the Board of Corporation Bank, member of CAPART Governing Body, and member of National Wastelands Development Board. He has vast experience in working with several international agencies like World Bank, ODA- UK, CIDA-Canada, and IFAD. He is also the founder Chairman of Sanghamithra Rural Finance Services Ltd, a Section 25 microfinance institution. He has authored several books and monographs like Alternate Management Systems for Savings and Credit for the Poor, The Myrada Experience, Putting Institutions First-Even in Microfinance, Sanghamithra- A Microfinance Institution with a Difference apart from authoring about 55 papers on rural management systems.
Sri. Zakir Hossain
Executive Director, BURO, Bangladesh
BURO Bangladesh has been operating since 1990, and is dedicated to the economic development of the poor in Bangladesh. BURO Bangladesh is mainly concentrated on loans to micro-entrepreneurs. BURO Bangladesh disburses collateral fee loans. Primarily, the credit procedures are based on the Grameen model but with some modifications. BURO Bangladesh motivates the target people to form customer groups, encourages them to save and provides credit to capitalize their income generation activities and meets emergency needs. In addition to the core savings and credit activities, BURO Bangladesh undertakes human resources development training for its members mainly primary health care, water and sanitation, education, motivation family planning, tree plantation, skill development and mass education program as an integral part of the organization's approach to rural development.
Mr. Shakila Wijawardena
Managing Director and Chief Executive
SEEDS, Sri Lanka
Mr. Shakila Wijewardena was the first graduate from the Faculty of Science of the University of Colombo, and later obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Management Studies from the Anglia Polytechnic University, UK. He is currently the Managing Director and Chief Executive of SEEDS. Shakila Wijewardena was appointed to the Board in August 2002. SEEDS' distinctive identity and core values are rooted in the concept of a no-poverty, no-affluence society, as envisioned by Dr. A.T. Ariyarathne, Founder and President of the Servodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka. He is also a Board Director of the Sarvodaya Legal Services Movement as well as a Member of the Management Board of Sarvodaya Vishva Lekha. He is also a Member of the Chartered Management Institute, UK. While in England. Shaika Wijewardena served in Oxfam UK, where he was responsible for the East London operations in marketing and helped to implement the 5-Year Strategic Plan for the Oxfam Northeast London Network.
Dr. Rohit Kumar Nepali
Executive Director
South Asia Partnership International (SAP-I)
Dr Rohit Kumar Nepali is the Executive Director for the South Asia Partnership International (SAP-I), a Southern-based; Southern-led international NGO. As the coordinating body of South Asia Partnership Network, SAP-I facilitate solidarity between other community based organizations and issue based networks within South Asia. South Asia Partnership network comprises of six national member organizations based in Bangladesh, Canada, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The SAP-I secretariat works with a network of local and regional organizations to create and implement programs that will improve the state of human development in South Asia. SAP-I's three major intervention areas are livelihood, governance and peace. Prior to the current assignment he was the Executive Director for the South Asia Partnership (SAP)–Nepal. Dr Rohit Kumar Nepali has over 30 year's experience in development project management, specializing in design, development, implementation, financial and human resources management, monitoring, evaluation and reporting on internationally and locally funded programs, projects and initiatives. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
