Associates
Demographic and Diversity
Class Size
25
Work Experience
1.5 Range
Average Age
24
Diversity
50% Women
10 Average No. of States Represented
Education Background of Batch 2019
- Architecture
- Business Studies
- CA
- Economics
- Humanities
- Law
- Public Policy
- Science and Engineering
Total Number
- 1
- 2
- 1
- 7
- 6
- 3
- 2
- 2
Fields
- Consulting
- International Relations
- Urban Planning
- Finance
- Law
- Environment
- Governance
- Education
- Politics
Positions/Functions
- Sub-Editor
- Consultant
- Program Manager
- Business Analyst
- Research Assistant
- Architect
- Fellow
- Associate
- Analyst
List of Institutions
- Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra University
- Ramjas College, Delhi University
- Lady Shri Ram College for Women
- ILS Law College, Pune
- Hansraj College, University of Delhi
- Scottish Church College, Calcutta University
- Miranda House, University of Delhi
- Mumbai| Architecture of School Sheth Balwant N
- Jain University
- Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
- IP College for Women, University of Delhi
- St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
- RTMNU University
- Ramjas College, University of Delhi
- Hindu College, Delhi University
- Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
- St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi
- Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi
- Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
- Savitribai Phule Pune University
- Shri Ram college of Commerce, Delhi University
- Azim Premji University, Bangalore
- Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
- University of Oxford
- Christ University, Bangalore
- SBPPSE, Ambedkar University Delhi
- Symbiosis School of Economics
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
- Ambedkar University Delhi
- Ashoka University
- Hansraj College, Delhi University
- School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London
- Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Indian School of Development Management
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Alina Masoodi
Age: 24UG: Bachelors in Economics (H), Ramjas College, University of Delhi
PG: LL.B. from Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
Internship Experience: Worked with NGO Asmat (2014-15)
Part of the Enactus Ramjas team (2014-15)
Alina hails from the city of Nawabs- Lucknow and considers herself to be a true blue ‘Lakhnavi’. Her schooling instilled in her a very strong sense of loyalty and respect for her surroundings and these are the two qualities she values the most in her life. Her sheltered and modest upbringing did not allow for much interaction outside of school and her earliest experience of witnessing life outside her comfort zone was when she volunteered to be a part of her school’s community service programme. It was here she realised that there are complex social problems like poverty and malnutrition among many others that needed solutions.
It was only during her college years in Delhi that she found the platform of Enactus (a student run social entrepreneurship cell) to work on socially relevant projects revolving around the underprivileged women community and the Transgender community. It was an eye-opening journey for her as she realised how much can be achieved with concerted, dedicated effort by a group of people committed to a cause. After realising that an undergraduate degree in Economics alone was not an answer to the things that drew her attention, she moved on to pursue law which would further help her in advocating for the rights of communities at the margins and working towards their betterment.
With the CMGGA Programme she aspires to understand how the government functions and the delicate balance that needs to be struck in assessing the demands/requirements of the various stakeholders while simultaneously working towards solutions that need to be made accessible to everyone in order to improve their quality of life. Alina hopes to work at the intersection of law and public policy and believes that this programme will be an important step in that direction giving her the learning and experience crucial at this juncture in her life.
Anahitha Sagar
Age: 24UG Degree and Institution: B.A (Hons) Journalism, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi
PG Degree and Institution: M.Phil Development Studies, University of Oxford
Work Experience: Consultant, Strategic Engagement and Communications, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (May 2018 to August 2018)
Internship Experience: Volunteer and Head Core Team Member, Asmat NGO (December 2014 to June 2016); Summer Intern, Human Rights Law Network (July 2015- August 2015); Editorial Intern, The Times of India (June 2014- July 2014)
Anahitha recently completed her M.Phil in Development Studies, with an interest in gender, education, women’s empowerment and capacity building, and grassroots mobilisation. She believes that while myriad experiences have shaped her perceptions, it was one pivotal period in her life that nudged her in a specific direction. During her undergraduate education, she worked with Asmat, a student-led NGO in village Soda, Rajasthan. She cherishes her time spent in the organisation, as it was her first tryst with field research. Her association with Asmat, spanning over almost a year and a half, helped nurture an interest in the development sector.
At graduate school, she was able to deep dive into qualitative research through her thesis, which saw her conduct six weeks of fieldwork in Belgaum, Karnataka interviewing women who were part of the historical devadasi system. She primarily focused on women entrepreneurs, sex workers and NGO workers.
Having looked at the development industry through the lens of donor organisations, grassroots NGOs and academia, she now hopes to understand it through a major stakeholder- the government. The CMGGA programme will give her valuable insights into policy and governance, and help observe various government schemes and interventions from close quarters. Additionally, this is the perfect opportunity for her to spend a prolonged period in the field, gaining first hand knowledge on the challenges of policy implementation.
Anahitha is also a trained Carnatic vocalist, enjoys travelling and reading fiction. While pursuing her undergraduate education, she was involved with LSR’s Elocution Society, NSS, and the Indian Music Society. At Oxford she was involved with the South Asian Arts Society and the university’s Peer Support Programme. She aspires to eventually pursue a career in research and academia.
Apurva Shelke
Age: 22UG Degree and Institution: B.A. LLB. , ILS Law College, Pune
Internship Experience: Intern, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Madhya Pradesh, May 2018 Intern, Make A Difference (MAD), 2 years (2014 –2016)
Apurva hails from the holy city of Nashik in Maharashtra, which is abundantly blessed by nature, has footprints of history and mythology all over it and has been an integral part of her growth. A nature lover and an adventure enthusiast, she has covered many trek routes in the Sahyadris and Himalayas. She is an occasional writer and an avid reader who enjoys reading fiction, philosophy, poetry and autobiographies. As a law student, she has been keen on working in the social and developmental sector. Her work in college and with various non-governmental organizations strengthened her grit for pursuing a career in public policy and administration. Her two year long association with ‘Make A Difference’, an NGO working towards literacy and educational equity inspired her to engage with diverse communities and understand their issues. Her work with National Green Tribunal and ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ enlightened her on the various environmental issues in developing nations and the need for sustainable development. Being the student coordinator for ILS Human Rights Cell and ILS Legal Aid Centre brought her in close contact with stakeholders from rural areas, low-income groups and minorities through legal literacy camps and educational visits, which further inspired her to take action and protect the rights of such stakeholders by working in the public policy sector.
She is looking forward to explore the various issues faced by government during policy framework and implementation along with understanding the nuances of public administration. She firmly believes in these words of Mahatma Gandhi saying, “Be the change you want to see” and wishes to be a positive change maker in the society.
Atul Sehgal
Age: 24UG Degree and Institution: Bachelor of Science, Hansraj College
Work Experience: Program Manager, Children's Education Trust, New Delhi (2017 to 2019)
Internship Experience: Campaign Manager, Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation, IIM Ahmedabad, (2015 to 2017)
Atul Sehgal is a science graduate from Hansraj College. Since his childhood days, he has been a National-Level Yoga Player and has won many medals in State-Level Yoga Championships. In his college, he led Hansraj Yoga Team and won Silver Medal in Delhi State Yoga Championship, 2015. As a member of prestigious Hansraj Dramatics Society, he performed at 25 colleges including IIT Bombay's Mood Indigo (Asia's Largest College Cultural Festival) and IIT Kanpur's Antaragni.
Atul's inclination towards bringing a change in the school education space motivated him to intern with Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation, IIM Ahmedabad. He created multilingual learning projects (based on IIM Ahmedabad's pedagogy) for government school students of Gujarat and Maharashtra. On account of his excellent performance, he was promoted to Assistant Campaign Manager, where he led a team of 24 undergraduates. On recognition as the best performing Assistant Campaign Manager nationally, he was invited to IIM Ahmedabad for a three-month stay, where he managed the nationwide operations of the Educational Innovations Bank Project under Prof. Vijaya Sherry Chand. Atul recruited and managed an all-time high: 2357 undergraduates from various IITs, NITs and other top-notch colleges. He analyzed already recorded innovations and converted them into a suitable database format for the project's portal. Besides, he also conducted baseline research in some government schools of Gujarat and interacted with innovative teachers and school management committee members to document their innovations. This experience was his Aha! Moment and there has been no looking back since then. His idea “free education for the country" won Most Popular Idea Award under Digital India theme in Accenture's Innovation Jockeys 5. After his graduation, Atul worked with Children's Education Trust where he managed their Educational Assessment Awareness Program that aims to provide free academic support and scholarship assistance to deserving under-resourced students.
Atul brings with him both, the experience of working on a large-scale project with over 16000 schools of Gujarat and that of a relatively smaller project supporting 5000 under-resourced students. These experiences taught him the importance of designing scalable projects and rolling them out in a phased manner. For him, CMGGA Programme is a platform where he can leverage his past learnings to design and implement impact-driven scalable projects for the overall development of 2 million students in government schools of Haryana and also their families.
Devyanshi Dubey
Age: 24 UG Degree and Institution: B.A (Hons.) Political Science, Miranda House
PG Degree and Institution - MBA, Ambedkar University Delhi
Work Experience - Research Assistant, ACIIE
Internship- Enactus, Miranda House
Market and Sales Team Lead, LaughGuru
Joint Secretary, Business Conclave, SBPPSE
Core Member, Women Development Cell Miranda House
Devyanshi hails from an urban middle class family in Noida, Uttar Pradesh and is connected to her ancestral land. She holds the values of empathy, perseverance, humility and discipline close to her heart and ensures that she practices these in her everyday life. Devyanshi is a reader and when not busy with the mundaneness of everyday life, she enjoys being engulfed by mythology, fiction and spirituality. She relishes singing and photography. She is a fervent supporter of Women Empowerment, Education, Health, Safety, Climate Change and Animal Rights.
Devyanshi decided to pursue Bachelors in Political Science Hons. for graduation due to her inclination towards the subject. She was an active member of women development cell, and during this she participated in a workshop on “Feminism and Indian Politics”.
She has completed her degree in Masters in Business Administration program at Ambedkar University Delhi. In her MBA years, she has worked on various projects related to marketing, human resources and strategic planning. Along with this, she has worked in various team projects that allowed her to show her potential to work as a team player and in certain situations as a team leader. As a part of her dissertation she choose to work on "Issues in Sustainability of NGOs: Implications for the management of Animal Welfare Program in India". Apart from this, she worked as a research assistant at ACIIE, wherein she conducted a research on Social Entrepreneurship Education in India.
The role of a CMGGA will be the guiding light for the rest of her journey. Her goal with this program is to have a first hand experience of the life that she wishes to lead; that is of being a civil servant and working with the government to create a better society. She feels that this is an opportunity where she can closely interact with the people she wishes to serve, understand their needs and work for them with the best of her capabilities. To be able to work on field and then create an understanding, a thesis that would lead individuals to come, is what makes this opportunity even more exciting for her.
Lohita Turlapati
Age: 26UG Degree and Institution: NMIMS Balwant Sheth School of Architecture
Work Experience:
AIESEC in Mumbai: Vice President, 1 year( 2012-13)
AIESEC in India: Vice President, 6 months( 2013-2013)
Banduk Smith Studio: Architect, 6 months( 2016-17)
HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt. Ltd.: 2 years( 2017-2019)
Internship Experience: Youth Ki Awaaz: Beat Reporter, 8 weeks (2013); Studio Mumbai Architects: Architectural intern, 6 months( 2016)
Lohita spent her entire childhood and most of her adulthood in the city of Mumbai. She grew up observing and experiencing its many social, cultural and economic imbalances. She learnt early that India’s collective future depends more and more on how its cities are developed to match their growing densities and requirements.
Her graduate studies in architecture school helped her discover the immense potential that design and technology possess to bring about positive impact on the urban environment over multiple sectors.
In parallel with her academic studies, she volunteered with different organisations. Her experiences contributed immensely to her understanding of how urban issues can be dealt with in different ways. Her extensive and diverse voluntary and professional experiences range from journalism, organizational development, architecture, urban design, research and documentation. These experiences have convinced her that issues related to development need to be resolved cross- functionally for coherent growth.
Over the last couple of years, Lohita has worked on real challenges involved in positive transformation of land in the Indian context. Her keen interest in working with the government in implementing solutions at the cutting edge of urban innovation, administration, and design to help communities thrive, is what led her to this programme.
As an associate of this programme and an aspiring urbanist, Lohita is eager to play an instrumental role in developing sustainable, equitable cities and regions in India. Through the Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associates programme, Lohita also hopes to get a better understanding of the Indian governance structure and its administration systems. In the long term, Lohita hopes to work towards creating new standards for sustainable growth, mobility and economic opportunity, for the country.
Hari Nilesh
Age: 24UG Degree and Institution: Bachelor of Arts, Jain University
PG Degree and Institution: M.Sc. Economics, Symbiosis School of Economics
Work Experience: Urban Governance Fellow, Sulochana Thapar Foundation, 14 Months (2018-19)
Internship Experience:
(i) Research Intern, National Institute of Urban Affairs, 2 Months (2017);
(ii) Research Intern, Bangalore Political Action Committee, 1 Month (2017).
Hari Nilesh spent his formative years in Adilabad, a small town in Telangana. His family later moved to Hyderabad for better education. It was in the city of Hyderabad that Nilesh discovered diverse avenues of learning and careers. A keen interest in humanities motivated him to pursue arts against his family’s wishes. Nilesh saw economics education as a gateway that can not only help him build a solid career path, but also contribute to the development of society we live in.
During his time in bachelor’s pursuing Economics and Sociology, Nilesh was actively participating in debates, paper presentations, and writing on diverse topics. He was awarded a Gold Medal for academic excellence at university level. He further moved on to pursuing a Masters in the field of Economics at the Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune, with specialization in Urban Development. This, along with an internship at the National Institute of Urban Affairs exposed him to the poor governance structures in Indian cities, motivating him to write a thesis on building a ward-level governance monitoring framework.
Post his masters, Nilesh worked as an Urban Governance Fellow in municipal bodies of Goa and Jharkhand for 14 months. This gave him an experience of working at the grassroot level on improving financial reporting, accountability and capacity building of the urban local bodies.
Hari Nilesh was inspired to apply for the CMGGA program as he believed it will give him a chance of taking a deeper look at the governance structure in the country. He wishes to work with multiple stakeholders at rural and urban areas in improving their local governments. He believes that this program will be an intersection of learning and impact. Ultimately, Nilesh hopes to establish himself as a public-policy practitioner, bridging gaps between government and civil society to encourage inclusive development.
Karandeep Sharma
Age: 23UG and PG Degree and Institution: B.S Chemistry-M.S. Economics Dual Degree, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur
Work Experience: Quality Council of India (QCI), July 2018 to July 2019
Internship Experience:
- Rakshak Foundation (May 2014 to July 2014)
- Samhita Social Ventures (May 2015 to July 2015 and December 2015)
- Acumen Fund (May 2016 to July 2016)
- Brookings Institution (December 2016 to January 2017)
- J-PAL (May 2017 to July 2017)
Karan has had the opportunity to have a close look at numerous governance and socio-economic problems faced by citizens, due to the public service background of his parents. This sensitized him to pursue a career which allows him to contribute to the process of improvement in governance, public service delivery and public policy.
He has invested significant amount of time through his internships, coursework and job in improving his understanding of the problems faced by Indian citizens and developing skills to contribute to the process of solving them. Experience of working with clients like Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and DIPAM (Ministry of Finance) at QCI; internships at J-PAL, Brookings, Acumen, Samhita and Rakshak Foundation and Economics coursework has apprised him of a variety of tools and frameworks to approach social problems in an effective manner. The opportunity to work with a cabinet minister, senior bureaucrats and experts in such renowned organizations has provided him a steep learning curve and confidence to work on complex social problems. He also showed early signs of good leadership skills, entrepreneurial spirit and team management skills during his college where he was associated with the Students’ Senate, Journalism body (as Chief Editor) and the institute Counselling Service. He was awarded the ‘IITK Excellence Award for Leadership’, ‘Gymkhana Leadership Award’ and ‘IITK Excellence Award for Community Service’ for his contributions.
Steep learning curve in the domains of policy formulation, policy implementation, public administration and stakeholder management along with the chance to strengthen governance and public service delivery in Haryana motivated him to apply for CMGGA. The opportunity to work on long term district transformation projects, smoothen the rough interaction between the state and citizens and improving understanding of problems faced by citizens thorugh first hand experience strengthened his desire to join CMGGA.
Maimoona Sahar
Age: 24 years UG Degree and Institution: B.A Economics (Honours) from Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi University PG Degree and Institution: M.A Development Policy, Planning and Practice from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tuljapur Internship Experience: AP Janmabhoomi, Government of Andhra Pradesh (May 2019); HAQ: Centre for Child Rights, New Delhi (April-May 2019)
Maimoona was born in New Delhi and grew up in both New Delhi and Qatar. At a very young age she was exposed to working within a truly multicultural background. During her high school days, she actively participated in several international Model United Nations including The Hague which instilled in her the passion to work for global and social issues. Her keen interest in social sciences and particularly Economics drew her to pursue Bachelors in Economics. During her under graduation, she took deep interest in National Service Scheme (NSS) which earned her the Sadbhavna Award for the most devoted student of NSS in her college.
In her final year of her under graduation, Maimoona was fascinated by Development Economics which made her take up post-graduation in Development Policy, Planning and Practice. She opted for this course because it offered an insight into other dimensions of social reality which Economics did not offer. During the field work in three semesters of her post-graduation, she engaged with grassroot organisations in both rural and urban setups which made her realise that a bottom up and evidence based approach is key to sound policymaking. During the course of her masters, she had undertaken projects in a wide range of topics from education, health to handicrafts.
At this point, she wishes to take up the Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associate Programme as it will help her apply what she learned theoretically and practically into the policy making process. She thinks CMGGA is a perfect fit for her as it will help her link the ground reality to higher level of government.
Experience in overall policy making process which CMGGA will offer will prepare her for her future goal of further studies.
Meghana Kaladi
Age: 24 Years UG Degree and Institution: B.Sc Statistics, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
PG Degree and Institution: M.A Social Work (Children and Families), Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
Work Experience: Senior Associate, Research and Advocacy, The Akanksha Foundation, Mumbai (2018 to 2019)
Internship Experience: Field Work Intern, Ramakrishna Sarada Sevashram Bastar, Chattisgarh (April, 2017); Research Associate, Vikalp Sansthan, Rajasthan (November, 2016)
Meghana grew up in Lucknow in a South Indian family. From an early age, there was a confluence of languages and cultures and an environment that focused on academic excellence. As an undergraduate student in Statistics, she felt that the numbers were fascinating, but there was always a sense of disconnect when the numbers were not used to understand evidence-based policy in her classrooms. She then decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Social Work, orienting her to the challenges on the field.
As part of her Master’s degree, her thesis was a study based in rural Rajasthan trying to look at how women from the Scheduled Caste communities understand the education of their daughters. She also worked on an action research on child brides in Rajasthan, gaining extensive on-field experience of data collection and analysis. The time in academia and on the field has been imperative in bridging the gap between theory and praxis and shaping her understanding of the various facets of the social sector.
Having worked with an NGO that runs schools in Public-Private partnership with the government in Maharashtra, she realized the importance of systemic reform and the role of public administration in achieving it. This led to her interest in CMGGA. Through CMGGA, she hopes to gain an immersive learning experience to comprehend impact at scale by working with varied stakeholders. Meghana hopes to continue working in the field of public policy and development practices, furthering the idea of a rights-based approach focusing on people-centered policies and governance.
Monica Hemrajani
Age: 24UG Degree and Institution: Bachelor in Commerce,RTMNU (Nagpur University)
PG Degree and Institution: Chartered Accountant from; The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Work Experience: Financial Analyst - UBS Business Solutions India Pvt Ltd (2017-2018)
Internship Experience: Research Associate- Grameen Foundation for Social Impact, India (Feb 2019- April 2019)
Monica hails from a business family in Nagpur. Her strong academics and a keen interest in numbers made her pursue Chartered Accountancy which she was able to clear in the first attempt. She joined the corporate world and worked in an Investment Bank. She participated actively in various CSR activities where she worked with local schools and on several projects including Menstrual Hygiene and Women Self-defence initiatives. While doing so, she developed a keen interest in working for underprivileged students and women.
After leaving her corporate job, she joined Grameen Foundation for Social Impact, India where she worked as a Research Associate. She worked on Project DiVE (Digital Inclusion via Education) and Women Empowerment in the rural areas of Maharashtra. This Internship helped her empathize with the pain points in the service delivery to the last mile. She led several pilot projects where she collaborated with local government officials and implemented Government Welfare Schemes through Haqdarshak Model. This enriching experience was a turnaround in her career where she decided to work in the social sector and contribute her part for the development of the community.
While implementing these pilot projects she realized the crucial role the Government plays in framing the policies and implementing it on a larger scale. Thus to get a better understanding of the on-ground complexities faced by the Government, she applied for CMGGA. Getting this opportunity to work with bureaucrats and last mile at the same platform, Monica's goal from the CMGGA is to get a holistic understanding of end to end of policy implementation and help in catalysing the implementation of schemes and Flagship programmes by Government. She aspires to work in the public policy space with Government and Think-tanks with her desire to impact millions of people at large.
Naman Jain
Age: 21UG Degree and Institution: B.A. (H) Economics, Ramjas College, University of Delhi
PG Degree and Institution: Young India Fellowship (PG Diploma in Liberal Studies), Ashoka University
Internship Experience: Researching Reality Intern, Centre for Civil Society (June 2017 to July 2017)
Naman was raised in the Grain Market area of Hansi, Haryana and did his schooling from a nearby school. He was fascinated by the smooth working of the grain market and to understand this phenomenon well, he went on to pursue his undergraduation in Economics from Ramjas College. He explored a lot of things while he was in college - he was involved in multiple research works; handled economics society as the President; organised events and seminars including two TEDx conferences - but two particular experiences changed his entire outlook about life and academics.
First was the internship with Centre for Civil Society where he worked on analysed e-District project of Delhi Government. This internship introduced him to the potential of academics in improving the society. And second was the Ramjas incident of February 2017, where students of various political parties clashed. This incident made him wonder about the complexities of the ideological clashes, which can't be understood from a single lens. To gain these additional lenses and to become strong enough, academically, to contribute to the society, he joined the Young India Fellowship batch of 2019.
During the Fellowship, he explored a lot of different subjects - ranging from Leadership to History to Philosophy - and interacted with people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. These interactions have equipped him with the ability to work with a diverse set of people to analyse and solve a problem from multiple dimensions. In the same year, he also started a project named 'Knottingale' where the team worked towards crochet artists to raise their negotiation power in the market through design workshops. This project made him realise the potential of such small interventions and inspired him to apply for the CMGGA programme.
CMGGA programme will provide him an opportunity to understand the Development sector better as he will be able to explore its various facets like health, education, transport etc in a single year. With this knowledge he will be able to design the interventions more efficiently which, in turn, will make the system more efficient. Moreover, this will also help him in deciding the stream for his further studies. On a personal level, he hopes to form strong relationships with the involved stakeholders and learn from their experiences to grow as an individual.
Akshay Joshi
Age: 24 UG Degree and Institution: B.A History, Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
PG Degree and Institution: M.A. Public Policy and Governance, Azim Premji University, Bangalore.
Work Experience: Sub-Editor- International Affairs, Weekly Swatantra Nagrik, Jan2017-June2017. Correspondent- World Section, Chanakya Mandal Magazine, May2017-June2017Internship Experience: Intern, Vanarai, Pune Dec2018. Intern, Himdhara, Himachal Pradesh May2018-June 2018Akshay hails from the small town of Ichalkaranji. From childhood, he is interested in History especially History of Marathas. So, he enrolled himself for B.A in History. During the second and final year of his bachelors, he volunteered with an organization for improving education in Amba region of Kolhapur District of Maharashtra. In the meantime, he got an opportunity to work as Sub-editor of international affairs in Weekly named Swanantra Nagrik. At the same time, he came across works of P.Sainath. P Sainath and his work as sub-editor developed his interest in Governance and State. So, he got enrolled for Masters in Public Policy and Governance from Azim Premji University, Bangalore. The two years of Masters were life-changing for him. As part of Master’s program, he interned with ‘Himdhra’ where he was primarily responsible for the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in 6 villages of Himachal Pradesh. The internship helped him in understating the complex world of policy implementation.He finds pleasure in reading Marathi literature, writing short stories and debating. Akshay wants to pursue higher education in Public Policy and Governance. He thinks CMGGA is a good platform where he can develop the essential foundation required for his higher studies.
Chahat Sanghvi
Age: 26UG Degree and Institution: Scottish Church College, Calcutta University
PG Degree and Institution: M.A. Applied Economics- Financial Economics, Christ University, Bangalore
Work Experience: Business Analyst, Northern Trust Bank; Business Development Executive, Home and Concepts- Interior designers and space planners
Internship Experience: Research Intern, Fidelity Investments- Innovation Management Team
From the city of Kolkata, Chahat grew up with the understanding of the value of giving back to society through one’s educational and learning prowess. While studying Economics, Mathematics and Accountancy and while leading his school as House Captain, Chahat also volunteered at local NGOs in his hometown. His experiences at CRY and MAD helped him empathize with the local need of catering to the downtrodden while also equipping them with the right beliefs and values, something that he was fortunate to receive throughout his academic and inter-personal life.
When Chahat moved on to college, his educational acumen was diverse, with a focus on Financial Economics, International Economics, Development Economics and Macro Economics. Such an apprenticeship-building saw direct application through rigorous research work on a thesis titled ‘The Impact of Special Interest Groups on policy implications in India’ at the Post-graduate level which received the batch’s highest score. Upon graduating, Chahat was propelled to introspect into his academic and extra-curricular achievements at college in the form of being the college fest head and an ardent debater. He felt that connecting the skills he acquired at University, some which even broke the boundaries of a traditional college education needed to be applied. He joined the MNC Fidelity Investments as a research intern with the innovations management team providing them with employee inputs on innovation management leadership. He worked with the interior consulting firm, Home and Concepts as a Business Development consultant creating a base for client interaction, space consulting and brand management. He concluded his stint in the corporate sector with Northern Trust Bank as a Business Analyst formulating end to end dashboards for senior management, while also improving the story telling from the company's growth perspective.
Chahat has seen the strengths of the private sector while bridging the gap between his skills and those of leaders around him. While connecting his efforts to produce corporate results, he realised the importance of expanding his key learnings to motivations, attributes and entities larger than a single private sector organisation. He envisions his career experience as one that should direct him to the arena of civic management, public participation, government res- structuring. As a student of Economics, he sees the importance of a career role in the dimension of policy analysis and formulation. As a citizen of India, he feels the significance of transiting into a sphere that allows him to re-connect with the needs of the grassroot while receiving inputs, skills and guidance of the Government. Through his vision of joining the CMGAA program and while working under the Chief Minister of the State of Haryana.
Chahat aspires to give his best and apply new learnings through his experience.
Naini Chauhan
Age: 25UG Degree and Institution: BA (History), Ramjas College, University of Delhi
PG Degree and Institution: MA (History), School of Liberal Studies, Ambedkar University Delhi
Internship Experience: Intern, O.P Jindal Global University (December, 2017 to February, 2018)
Intern, Ashoka University (July, 2017 to August, 2017)
English Teacher, Tibet Hope Centre, Dharamshala (June, 2015 to July, 2015)
Research Volunteer, Lha Charitable Trust, Dharamshala (June, 2014 to July, 2014)
Intern, Indian Institute of Public Administration (June, 2013 to August, 2013)
English Teacher, Make a Difference, New Delhi (July, 2012 to May, 2013)
Surrounded and moulded by a metropolitan environment, Naini’s paradigm of functioning clashed with the real world through her Humanities centric education. She realized she was growing up as a spectator to social issues, an area she wanted to utilize her potential. She decided to dive into this field and made concerted efforts to gain experience in the development sector, that was circumventing the widely prevalent globalizing economy. These experiences working in congruence with her education gave her the qualitative perspective on problems plaguing societies.
She came to understand the existence of disparate needs of different groups, and now hopes to gain the skill to combat such situations. Her intention to work in the social sector brought about a natural progression to research work, and this profile is what drew her towards CMGGA. Inherently inclined towards Public Administration in India, she hopes to gain answers to her many questions through this programme.
Theoretical contradictions in the present culture has been an area of keen interest to Naini, and she has attempted to relate it to different social models, realizing her novice experience. Therefore, she hopes to use this platform for effective execution of ideas, and understanding the logistics of successful models. Her aim is to be engaged with social work in an authoritative capacity in the future, and has been primarily streamlining her experiences, and gaining skills to fulfill that purpose.
Prachi Vashishta
Age: 25UG Degree and Institution: B.A. (Hons) English, Hindu College, Delhi University
PG Degree and Institution: MA English, Hansraj College, Delhi University
Work Experience: Fellow, Teach For India, 2017 – 2019
Voluntary Experience: EdSupport Volunteer, Make A Difference, 2016 – 2017While in a process of knowledge accumulation, Prachi, as a student in her final year of Masters, eventually wanted to be involved in a work that functions from within the system to ensure building a practical mechanism towards holistic, sustainable solutions for development. She thus decided to start her volunteer work at Make A Difference, where she conducted after-school classes in a shelter home in Delhi for one year. Post this, having realized the need for educational equity, she started her work as a Fellow with Teach For India and taught students in two government schools in North Delhi for two years. While the Fellowship experience exposed her to multiple domains within and related to the education sector, she further wanted to explore the domain of governance systems and develop a wider understanding of how education sector works. And this brought her to CMGGA.
Through CMGGA, Prachi hopes to map how on-ground experiences can be connected and leveraged through research and public administration. She aspires to work for social welfare by engaging in a community of promising innovations involved in a work that relates to people, stems from and works for them. Prachi plans to leverage academia and education through research and the existing governance system to bring a systemic socio political value-driven impact from within, and hopes that the program will help her navigate her journey of working towards an all-rounded approach of community-impact.
Praneet Jaswani
Age: 21UG Degree and Institution: B.Sc. Economics, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
Work Experience: Legislative Assistant to a Member of Parliament (LAMP) Fellow, PRS Legislative Research (2018-19)
Internship Experience: Research Fellow, Centre for Civil Society (2016); Research Associate, Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy (2017)
As the son of a navy officer, Praneet was fortunate enough to spend his school life hopping from one city to another. This allowed him to meet people from different cultures and upbringings, which led him to develop a high degree of confidence in dealing with other people. During his schooling and undergraduate years, Praneet was a keen debater and very active in sports. He represented his school and college in debating competitions as well as Model United Nation’s and was a part of the cricket and badminton team. Apart from this, he was also Vice-Captain in school and participated in various cultural events.
Post-graduation, he worked as a LAMP Fellow for Dr Vikas Mahatme, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. This proved to be an invaluable experience in understanding policymaking at the highest level. However, during the fellowship, he also realised that to develop a complete understanding of policymaking, it is essential to work at the lowest levels of governance and how policies are finally implemented. It was this learning that led him to apply to the CMGGA program. Through this course, he hopes to use his knowledge to solve implementation hurdles and positively impact people. Praneet hopes to pursue a Masters in Public Policy in the future and hopes that CMGGA will prove to be a stepping stone for the same.
Ruchbah Rai
Age: 25Education: BA Economics, St. Xavier’s College Mumbai
MSc. Development Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) London
Work Experience: Research Assistant, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Apr 2018-Jul 2019
Research Trainee, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), May 2015 – Dec 2015
Ruchbah was named after a star in the constellation Cassiopeia and is the daughter of an ex-Indian Navy pilot and a mother who is an architect. During her school days she was exposed to community welfare when she volunteered with Aseema and Akansha NGOs in Mumbai to educate underprivileged children and instil civic responsibility and environmental awareness. She found herself being motivated to understand and contribute on a career path that could give a better understanding of policy making and socio-economic upliftment.
She is spurred by an elemental interest in examining government policies and their socio-economic impacts. She has attempted to deconstruct the Cauvery Dispute by basing it on the game theoretical model of social and political constructs that are missing in existing literature to solve the Cauvery River dispute and recently authored an assessment of the performance of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in terms of adaptability and the achievement of the objective of “one nation, one scheme”.
During her stint at TERI and ORF she could comprehend the wide ranging societal impact of government policies when she worked on projects for South Asia Network of Economic Research Institutes (SANEI) and Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) that helped her to recognize effective policy-making and impediments. Her work on policy research at these institutions propelled a desire to understand the effect of policies at grassroots level and to be able to help recommend solutions that can deliver perceptible results.
Ruchbah is excited to be a part of the CMGGA programme because she would have the opportunity to acquire and analyse metrics that can shape responsible policies on development economics. She is also keen to face challenges of the mofussil and experience the real India where the effects of policies greatly impact societies. Ruchbah wants to pursue a path that brings her closer to public policy and governance issues and feels that the CMGGA programme would bring her within touching distance of the governance element that dissipates policies and the rural citizenry that faces maximum impact. She wants to understand and analyse this at the granular level and sees herself growing out to a macro level within this space.
Saumya Gupta
Age: 23UG Degree and Institution:Bachelors of Arts (History and Economics), Lady Shri Ram college for Women, Delhi University
PG Degree and Institution: MSc. International Relations, Nanyang Technological University
Work Experience: Economics Teacher, Math Vision, (2018 to 2019)
Internship Experience:Non-Research Intern, Hudson Institute, (April 2019 to July 2019); Digital Marketing Intern, Startup Leadership Programme (February 2015 to July 2015)
Saumya has changed 8 schools and 6 states in her childhood, thanks to her father’s transferable job in the telecommunications. Her frequently changing surroundings made her empathetic towards different cultures and provided a peek into the different social issues across India. However, her concrete exposure in understanding the social issues at the grass-root level happened with her grandmother. She often worked with her grandmother in her relentless drive to ensure that every child is educated in her hometown. Taking this inspiration forward, she expanded her horizons in the social sector by leading teams in NSS and raising awareness on various social issues at the university level. This was the time she discovered the leadership skills in her and gained the confidence to explore and challenge herself.
Post her under-graduation, the desire to understand the world better and from different perspectives landed her in Singapore. In Singapore, she gained knowledge about how different governments work and interact with each other to solve the world’s pressing problems. During this time, she became enthusiastic to work with the government, formulate holistic policies and bring an impact in the society. Before she joined CMGGA, she was trying to understand more about policy making through internships and small projects at various organizations like the Hudson Institute.
Her past experiences have strongly contributed to her motivation to apply for the CMGGA programme. Through CMGGA, she aims to gain practical exposure in the development field while working closely with the government as well as with the people on-ground. She is enthusiastic to understand other aspects of this diverse country which might be unknown to her. Her goal is to work in the field of policymaking, and she aims to learn more about stakeholder management, leadership skills and how to drive policy changes through the CMGGA programme.
Sunaina Mathur
Age: 22UG Degree and Institution: Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from Fergusson College, Pune
Work Experience: Associate, Centre for Civil Society (CCS), May 2018 to July 2019
Internship Experience: Volunteer English Teacher, Doorstep School: 2014-2016 Intern, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC): April 2015 to May 2015 Policy Research Intern, Government of Andhra Pradesh: December 2017 to January 2018 Advocacy Intern, Centre for Civil Society: February 2018 to April 2018
Born and brought up in Nashik, Sunaina, a 22 year old Economics graduate from Fergusson College, Pune, has always been invested in transforming and reforming her surroundings. Coming from a family that encouraged her to take initiative, she actively worked towards bettering things. An avid reader, writer, poet and debater, Sunaina actively participated in these to gain a better understanding of the world.
She started studying Economics never having even heard of public policy. Her volunteering experience as a teacher for two years in addition to her internship experiences at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Government of Andhra Pradesh, helped her understand the development sector and discover her interest in public policy. She was also chosen to represent India at the United Nations(UN) working on a project to combat slavery and child labour in supply chains of apparel industries, which gave her insight into the designing and drafting of high impact schemes.
Soon after graduating, she joined the Centre for Civil Society (CCS), a public policy think tank, working on education and livelihood policies. At CCS she worked closely on the Street Vendors campaign to ease regulatory barriers in the way of these micro-entrepreneurs and on the preliminary research of a handbook of actionable ideas for effective governance.
Having to explain the meaning of public policy to people has always irked her since it is a quintessential part of our lives. During the coming year she hopes to work towards bridging this gap between the policies and the people. CMGGA will help her explore public policy in all its dynamism- from the government to the public and all the stakeholders in between. Through her work she hopes to make policies more community centric and the communities more policy informed.
Swati Rajmohan
Age: 22UG Degree and Institution: Bachelors in Commerce (Honors) from Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi (Batch of 2018)
Work Experience: Analyst, Government and Public Sector Consulting at Deloitte (August 2018 to July 2019)
Swati was born in Kochi, and brought up in the small town of Coimbatore, in a family of art enthusiasts who were largely appreciative of literature, music, and artwork of various intensities. However, it was only when she turned about eighteen that she caught up with the political subtext in these pieces. Ever since, she has garnered the keenness to scrutinize things past its mere face value.
In 2015, she moved to Delhi to pursue her Bachelors degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce. Delhi University exposed her to the dichotomies of India’s demographic in terms of religious beliefs, political ideologies, worldviews, and backgrounds. These instances made her introspect and question her own beliefs. She introduced herself to philosophies of political thoughts and systems; the more she read, the clearer it dawned on her that the efficient functioning of society depends on policies and not politics.
Swati’s interest in policy-making intensified as she conducted more research and kept up with current affairs. With that interest in mind, she secured a job out of campus at Deloitte in the Government & Public Sector Consulting practice where she worked across sectors of Urban Transport, and Urban Infrastructure. Her work at Deloitte primarily involved conducting research on various stake-holding aspects, collating relevant data points for building cases, and assisting in developing strategic sustainable solutions to client problems. However, she believes that the vertical of true ground level work in public administration is still alien to her, and is something that would help enhance her understanding of establishing social welfare and economic development strategies, which is her fundamental goal. She believes that the CMGGA program provides the perfect platform for her to embark on her journey to becoming a public policy professional. Ultimately, she hope to derive a holistic experience in the policymaking process.
Sparsh Maheshwari
Age: 24UG Degree and Institution: B.E (Hons.) Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
PG Degree and Institution: Indian School of Development Management
Work Experience: Analyst, Novartis, (2016 to 2018)
Internship Experience: Intern, Swiggy, (July to December 2015)
Sparsh grew up in the small town of Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. Due to his interest in Mathematics and Physics coupled with ignorance about other subjects, he went on to pursue engineering from BITS, Pilani.
His association with National Service Scheme (NSS) and Renewable Energy Club at college provided him opportunities to build teams and work with hundreds of dedicated volunteers at the grassroots level. His experience in teaching children for a year and then helping them complete their education through raising funds from students and professors made him realize the importance of imparting quality education to all the children irrespective of their socio-economic background.
Post engineering, he joined Novartis, a pharmaceutical giant as an Analyst which gave him exposure to working with diverse people from different parts of the world. However, not being able to find a purpose in his corporate job, Sparsh decided to take a leap of faith and joined ISDM in it’s second batch to explore the development sector and understand how he can contribute to society through his work in a meaningful way.
During his time in ISDM, his thoughts and opinions were challenged by people from very diverse backgrounds and that led to a formation of a more holistic worldview for him. As he stepped out of ISDM, he wanted to understand the ground realities in a better manner so that he is able to empathize and work with the people while applying his learnings from ISDM and CMGGA seemed a perfect opportunity for him.
Through CMGGA, he hopes to gain an understanding of the complex government administrative structure and build good relationships with people with the aim of helping the vulnerable and marginalized. He believes that no problem can be solved by working in isolation and it becomes really important for us to be inclusive and bring together as many people as possible to achieve a common purpose. With this in mind, he hopes to bridge the gap between Civil Society Organizations and the government so that both work in collaboration towards solving some of the biggest problems being faced by our country.
Pulin Singh
Age: 26UG Degree and Institution: Bachelor of Arts (Honours) History, St Stephen’s College
PG Degree and Institution: LLB Law, Faculty of Law, Delhi University
Hailing from Chandigarh, Pulin grew up with a strong desire to follow in the footsteps of his father, a civil servant. In school, he helped ideate and organize the first national Model United Nations Conference in the city, which is currently in its tenth iteration. Even in college he continued to attend such conferences in the capacity of an Executive Board member, having overseen both the IIT Delhi and Shri Ram College of Commerce’s MUN. He travelled to Singapore under a Student Exchange Programme organized by the Education Department of Chandigarh, that provided an opportunity to visit the country’s public schools and understand their education system.
Pulin completed his graduation degree in History at St Stephen’s College, Delhi. During this period, he formed a deep interest in the social formations and cultural patterns of the Indian society and its progression over the years. In 2016, he joined the three year LLB programme at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. He was an active member of the institute’s Moot Court Society and the Student’s Union Society, and has an extensive internship experience at both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India. While completing this degree, he also attended a summer course on International Humanitarian and Refugee Law at the Indian School of International Law.
Through the CMGGA Programme, Pulin is seeking to enhance his understanding of the predicaments posed by interdependence, diversity and dynamics of the national and local institutions. He believes that this opportunity would enable him to appreciate the potential and limits of public policy action. While working at the district level, he wishes to understand the development schemes and programmes from the viewpoint of the implementers. This would further allow him to assess the efficacy and adequacy of various resources being used to achieve the desired goals and objectives under the government’s schemes. Ultimately, Pulin aspires to form a career path in the arena of public service, working with relevant solutions in a pragmatic yet innovative manner.
Raghav Mahajan
Age: 23UG Degree and Institution:Bachelor of Business Studies (Finance), Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies ‘17, University of Delhi
PG Degree and Institution: PG Diploma Liberal Studies- Young India Fellowship ‘18, Ashoka University
Work Experience: Public Policy Consultant, Uber
In a world where one can never have enough, Raghav values the importance of being simple and content. His desire for perfection and enthusiasm to learn new things is what drives his everyday endeavors. He is often admired by his fellow team workers for his sportive, never-give-up attitude and not to mention his satirical sense of humor.
Throughout his formative years, he has taken a keen interest in social development and governance. In college, he joined Enactus, a global NPO advocating social entrepreneurship. From working towards creating a standardized system in the rag-picking sector to being elected as one of the 6 students from a team of 60 members to present the projects at world level Enactus competitions, where they were adjudged as the 1st runners up, Enactus has been an invigorating journey for Raghav. As the Vice President of Project Akshar, he led a team of 30 members to establish new production centers, empowering women entrepreneurs and supporting the education of 5800+ underprivileged students
He continued his passion for understanding policy and governance by pursuing YIF, which exposed him to multidisciplinary courses that bolstered his ability to address pressing challenges in the development sector
Post YIF, he worked as a Public Policy Consultant at Uber. He successfully ideated and initiated partnerships with the Punjab and Maharashtra Government to create micro-entrepreneurship opportunities for underprivileged sections. Despite his learning curve growing many folds there, he aspired to work directly within the government. In the past, he had a brief association with CMGGA, as part of the Experiential Learning Module at YIF. At that time, he understood the vital contribution of CMGGA towards streamlining administrative processes and implementation of policies. Now as an Associate he is excited to learn, unlearn and acquire an in-depth knowledge of governance and administration.