India Fellows Years: Indian Fellows 2023-2024

Anupama Thekkinkat Vadukoot

Ms. Anupama Thekkinkat Vadukoot is Commissioner, Land Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Kerala. She joined Indian Administrative Service in 2010 after completing B.E. in electrical and electronics engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani-Goa.

She was a co-founder of a social service society in her college and the first president of the Goa chapter of the NGO Nirmaan, leading to a strong foundation for her work in the social sector later in her career.

Ms. Vadukoot secured fourth rank in the country in the all-India Civil Services Examination (CSE) and joined Kerala cadre. There, she served in various positions: Sub Collector, District Collector, and Head of the Department in Government of Kerala. The sectors she worked in includes food safety, social justice, women and child, Scheduled Tribes development, tourism, disaster management, and land revenue. She is passionate about working on issues in the social sector, particularly child protection and gender.

During her Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellowship, Ms. Vadukoot is studying public administration at Harvard Kennedy School. She believes that this program will enable her to smoothly transition from her current implementation roles to policy-making roles in the government. Furthermore, she aims to learn skills necessary for developing an interdisciplinary approach in designing people-friendly policies for the state.

Vivek Tejaswi

Mr. Vivek Tejaswi is a public policy research and governance practitioner with a strong background in technology, social science, and climate change mitigation. He has dedicated over a decade of his career to studying and working on interdisciplinary aspects environmental science and sustainability, and collaborating with private, government, and non-governmental organizations at the sub-national level.

As a Founding Member and De-facto Director, Mr. Tejaswi has led the Centre for Studies on Environment and Climate at the Asian Development Research Institute, a prominent social sciences research think-tank in Bihar. His work in Bihar, particularly on policy framing and implementation was supported by major philanthropies such as the World Bank, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Tata Cornell Institute, and Oxford Policy Management. In his brief professional stint, he has led several other projects and team in this prior professional instant, specially with institutions such as the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (Government of India), and the Department of Finance (Government of Bihar). Prior to his involvement in policy research, he was worked with major grassroots organizations like Tata Trust, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India), and Selco Foundation. Mr. Tejaswi’s dedication to community development and sustainability is exemplified by his recognition as a State Bank of India Foundation’s Youth For India Fellow. During this fellowship, he implemented a project that positively impacted over 500 households in remote regions of Madhya Pradesh, providing them with access to basic energy sources and farm-based technology.

Academically, Mr. Tejaswi received training in ‘Development’ with a specialization in ‘Sustainability’ from the Azim Premji University, Karnataka. He also holds a degree in ‘Electronics and Communication Engineering’, from Ranchi University, Jharkhand. He is trained in applied technology design and installation, focusing on areas such as robotics, small-scale wind energy turbines, and decentralized solar energy systems. As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Mr. Tejaswi aims to gain international exposure and receive comprehensive training in climate change science, policy, and leadership to better address the socioeconomic impacts of climate crisis. After his return from the Fulbright-Nehru grant, Mr. Tejaswi envisions continuing his work in critical thinking and strategic policy dialogues related to climate change mitigation and resource sustainability at the regional scale. He intends to bridge alliances between the international research community and regional practitioners, aiming to strengthen evidence-based policymaking, planning, and implementation tailored to the specific needs of the region.

Ritu Sain

Ms. Ritu Sain is a seasoned administrator currently leading the National Anti-Doping Agency in Government of India. In her two-decade long career in the Indian Administrative Service, she has held many challenging assignments and has been credited with several innovative solutions to complex problems being faced by marginalized communities. She is known for her work in areas affected by left wing extremism, where she played a key role in mobilizing women into 10,000 + robust community institutions (self-help groups) for social change.

Her earlier assignments as a young head of administration in the districts of Surguja and Korea saw her introduce several initiatives to enable even the most vulnerable to avail program benefits with ease. Her contributions in the field rural sanitation, healthcare, education, and livelihood are considered to have made lasting impact in the state of Chhattisgarh.

Her path breaking and now much admired and replicated waste management model in Ambikapur has relevance to small cities in other parts of the developing world. The centrality of women collectives in this model has led to gains in women empowerment over and above what has been achieved through better sanitation.

She has served in policy making roles in Government of India. During her tenures in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports she was instrumental in bringing out large scale change through inclusive public policies and stake holder participation.

She has been awarded the President’s Medal for Outstanding Zeal and High-Quality Service and Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration for outstanding contribution in public service delivery.

Ms. Sain is a Draper Hills Summer Fellow (Stanford University) and a Chevening Gurukul Fellow (University of Oxford). She holds an M. Phil degree in Southeast Asian Studies and MA degree in Politics with specialization in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

As a Fulbright-Nehra Masters fellow, Ms. Sain is pursuing public policy at Columbia University to sharpen her skills in policy analysis and implementation. She believes this experience will offer her global exposure, help her connect with a network of professionals and learn rigor required in her policy making roles in the government. Upon returning to India, she plans to contribute to inclusive governance by empowering the vulnerable population through quality education and access to livelihood opportunities and healthcare.

Minaam Reyaz Shah

Mr. Minaam Shah obtained his master’s degree in politics and international relations from the University of Kashmir and is a full-time freelance journalist based out of Kashmir. He has completed courses in social entrepreneurship and modern diplomacy, and his work has been regularly featured in the Foreign Policy magazine, South China Morning Post, Nikkei Asia, and The Diplomat, among others.

Mr. Shah’s writing career began when he joined an acclaimed news portal, The Kashmir Walla in 2020. After a brief stint there, he started covering the refugee beat for several international publications and has written on the issues of refugees, forced migrations, and displaced communities in South Asia, including the Afghans, the Rohingyas, and the Tibetans.

Before joining journalism, Mr. Shah published regular commentary for a U.S. magazine The National Interest, where he closely followed the broad contours of U.S. policy towards South Asia. In addition, Mr. Shah helped set up the publication and communication verticals of a European think tank.

During his Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellowship, Mr. Shah is pursuing graduate studies in international relations at Tufts university. He believes this program will equip him with a multidisciplinary approach to optimally analyze issues of forced migration and displacement. Furthermore, he is confident this fellowship will help him realize his objective of building spaces for solution-based journalism and of adding new perspectives to policy research on global refugee crises.

Anugraha P

Ms. Anugraha P completed her bachelor’s degree in engineering from PSG College of Technology and worked as Business Analyst. She joined the Indian Administrative Service in 2011 to pursue her passion for developing an equitable and inclusive society.

Ms. Anugraha P has held various leadership positions in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Her initiatives were aimed at improving the socioeconomic parameters of weaker sections of the society and at women empowerment through education and skill development programs. As District Collector in Shivpuri and Khargone, she has improved education standards in remote rural areas by upgrading school infrastructure and manpower training, by introducing innovative pedagogy, and by addressing issues of child labor, malnutrition, and migration. She is keen on implementing STEAM based learning models and advancing digital literacy in schools.

Ms. Anugraha P has promoted financial independence in women by providing entrepreneurial opportunities through convergence of government schemes and positive engagement with NGOs. She has collaborated on various projects with international agencies like ILO and UNICEF. She is also a proud recipient of Platinum Award for Excellence in Digital Governance, conferred by the President of India for her excellent initiatives in providing digital services in rural India.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Ms. Anugraha P is pursuing a master’s in public administration at Harvard Kennedy School. She aspires to use data analytics in designing effective public policy and to leverage technology to make education more accessible and equitable. Along with the enriching academic curriculum, she looks forward to being a part of the global peer network.

Avny Lavasa

Ms. Avny Lavasa is a civil servant from the Indian Administrative Service working in Jammu and Kashmir. She has ten years’ of experience serving in various roles in the Indian government across the challenging regions of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. She is known for her participative approach in public service as she successfully implemented infrastructural as well as community-led projects. She is an economics graduate from the University of Delhi and has a sports management diploma from Australia. Before joining the government, she worked as a professional in the sports industry.

As Deputy Commissioner (district head) of Leh district, Ms. Lavasa worked in the Ladakh region, where she set up a widely acclaimed solid waste management system with facilities spread across the region. Her other initiatives towards mitigating major urban problems and sustainable development of the ecologically fragile region include reviving public transport system, promoting eco-friendly modes of mobility, and enforcing waste management regulations at tourism destinations.

In her role as Municipal Commissioner, Jammu city, and CEO of the Smart City Mission, Ms. Lavasa led major urban infrastructure projects, like the iconic Riverfront project and Asian Development Bank funded urban water supply and urban mobility projects, among others. She played an instrumental role in procuring, designing, and managing several urban projects in Jammu.

Ms. Lavasa is a sports enthusiast and regularly participates in half marathons. She pioneered the organization of school games in Leh. She is a keen traveler and believes that both sports and travelling have enriched her life. Sports taught her the values of team spirit, discipline, and fair play.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Ms. Lavasa is pursuing urban planning to learn new aspects of urban policy, regulation, and environmental sustainability that will add to her administrative experience. She hopes to gain academic and practical insights into the area of urban reforms that will enable her to understand present and future challenges of urbanization in the world and to contribute towards better governance in her country.

Pallavi Khare

Ms. Pallavi Khare works in the field of strategic communications with a focus on community empowerment from 2019. Ms. Khare started her career as an arts and culture curator at Godrej India Culture Lab. The Godrej India Culture Lab is a cultural space and a multimedia online network that sought to amplify marginal voices across the intersections of gender, class, and region through innovative public programing. Here, Ms. Khare curated cultural events around globally pertinent issues of gender and sexuality rights, environmental conservation and community rights, and cultural place making in contemporary India. She then went on to lead community impact and public scholarship initiatives at the Indian Institute of Management, Indore such that the valuable research produced at IIMI could positively enable the local and national community, businesses, academia, and entrepreneurial endeavors.

Ms. Khare has master’s degree in media and cultural studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Delhi. While at TISS, she produced two documentary films: Ghutan, which documented the plight of communities displaced because of developmental projects in Mumbai as well as Aamchi BEST, which showed the impact of privatization of public transport and its repercussions on public accessibility and mobility.

Through her Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellowship, Ms. Khare aims to learn to leverage the potential of the multi-dimensional, dynamic, and evolving global media scape to drive social and cultural transformations.

Aman Gupta

Dr. Aman Gupta obtained a bachelor’s in engineering from the University of Delhi in 2005. Thereafter, he went to business school at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, completing his MBA in 2007. He spent a term at the University of Lyon, France, as part of this course. Dr. Gupta worked as a credit rating analyst, from 2008 to 2010, with CRISIL Limited (a Standard and Poor’s Enterprise) and spent a few years as a co-founder of a start-up until late 2011. In December 2011, he joined the Indian Corporate Law Service of the Government of India, which regulates the functioning of companies in India.

Dr. Gupta joined the premier Indian Administrative Service in 2013 and has undertaken several assignments in the Government of NCT of Delhi and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Along with his work in the civil service, he has also completed a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Delhi and a Ph.D. in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.

Dr. Gupta is a visually impaired person and is legally blind. He has a keen interest in reading, writing, and travelling.

As part of the Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellowship, Dr. Gupta is pursuing an LLM at Harvard University. He is studying areas of constitutional and administrative law relating to the balance of powers, balance between regulation and freedom, and trust-based governance. He hopes to be able to apply this knowledge while formulating law and policy in India and to better appreciate the nuances during their implementation. He believes this would enable him to do justice to his profession as an IAS officer in improving the lives of his fellow citizens.

Prince Dhawan

Mr. Prince Dhawan, an IAS officer by profession and a development practitioner at heart, is committed to improving the living conditions of people in his country and to nation-building. Hailing from Chandigarh, he completed his dual degree (B.Tech. and M.Tech.) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in electrical engineering and ICT. He was the topper and the best all round-student of his class of 2011 and was awarded the Director’s Gold Medal as well as the Director’s Silver Medal. In 2012, he secured the third rank in the all-India civil services exam and is currently placed as the topper of his batch.

Over the last decade, Mr. Dhawan has served in three state and union territory governments, including the tribal areas of Arunachal Pradesh, where he was awarded the National e-governance Award, 2017-18, and the state gold medal for outstanding contribution to public service and use of technology. Under his leadership, the state IT Department was recognized as the best performing department in the state in 2018. Currently stationed in Delhi, Mr. Dhawan is using emerging technologies for proactive governance. As District Magistrate, West Delhi, he is also actively involved in rehabilitation of street children and in upskilling of youth. To be able to better discharge his responsibilities as a public servant in the years ahead, Mr. Dhawan would like to study the key ingredients of an effective policy for different problems and environments.

During his Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellowship, Mr. Dhawan is studying public administration and international development at Harvard university, which helps him gain a deeper understanding of complex developmental problems and acquire the right analytical tools to design and implement solutions for them. After completing his fellowship, he aims to contribute more meaningfully to his life’s mission: empowerment of underprivileged communities and transformation of public service institutions.

Radhakrishnan Balasubramanian

Mr. Radhakrishnan Balasubramanian is a postgraduate in microbiology from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Driven by his passion towards public service, he joined the Indian Administrative Service in the year 2008. He has served in various capacities in Maharashtra for the past 14 years and is currently the Municipal Commissioner of Nagpur Municipal Corporation.

Mr. Balasubramanian made many interventions to improve learning outcomes in government schools. His quality education initiatives served as a model for the rest of the state. As District Collector, he helped solve many complex land acquisition issues, implement land record digitization, and re-engineered the archaic fruit valuation policy of the state. He was awarded the Best District Collector Award by the Government of Maharashtra for his innovative practices in public service.

As a civic chief of Nagpur, Mr. Balasubramanian successfully implemented GIS mapping of land parcels and properties, which resulted in a substantial increase in the municipal corporation’s revenue. He planned and executed many Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects in the urban sector, such as managing the city’s drinking water supply, public transport, and streetlights.

During his Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellowship, Mr. Balasubramanian is pursuing a graduate degree in public administration from Harvard University. He believes this would equip him with analytical skills and approaches to public policy making. On returning to India, Mr. Balasubramanian intends to work on various issues concerning the urban sector at the state and central levels.