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A PIONEERING INS TITUTION IN RURAL MANAGEMENT

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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

INS TITUTE OF RURAL MAGAGEMENT ANAND

2

“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


3

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.


VisionVisionVisionVision

MissionMission

Programmes, Activities and Centres designed to fulfil IRMA’s Missionary Objectives


4

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.


6


7

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


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



11

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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13

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.


14

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.


15

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.


16

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.


17

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.


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


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

institute of rural management anand - irma.ac.in · revolution dr. verghese kurien, is a pioneering...

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