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Dr. Basavaraju R Shreshta

Executive Director

Dr. Basavaraju R Shreshta is a seasoned development professional and public policy researcher with a rich and diverse background in Research and Evaluation, Teaching and Capacity Building, Strategic Consultation, Policy Design, and Project Planning & Implementation. His extensive experience spans both grassroots and policy levels, focusing on Governance and Democratisation, Education, Skill Development, Rural Livelihood, Employment of Persons with Disability, Child Protection, Social Business, and Corporate Social Responsibility.

 

Dr. Basavaraju played a pivotal role in establishing the Grassroots Research And Advocacy Movement (GRAAM) as a respected public policy think-and-act tank. Under his leadership, GRAAM evolved into a nationally reputed organization with a presence in over 18 states.

 

During India's presidency of the G20 in 2023, Dr. Basavaraju was designated as the National Coordinator for the Working Group on Delivering Democracy by the G20- Civil 20 Secretariat. In this role, he organized and led over 30 events, including International Conferences, Webinars, Round Tables, Model G20 for youth, and People’s Engagement events across the country within six months.

 

Recognizing his significant contributions to the development sector, Dr. Basavaraju has received prestigious awards and honors, including the 'Noble Citizen Award 2023' by Noble Citizen Foundation, 'Champion of Cause' by Tally India in 2023, 'Award of Appreciation' in 2023 by FICCI and the Government of Karnataka, '50 Most Impactful Social Innovators (Global Listing)' by World CSR Day in 2018, the Garden City University Honor in 2018 and Nobel Citizen Award 2023 by Nobel Citizen Foundation, New Delhi. 

 


Dr. Basavaraju has authored several influential policy and strategy documents, including the Karnataka Vision 2025 - Skill Development and Employment Vision Document, Policy on Skill Development, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship 2023-30, National State of the Sector Report on 21st Century Skills, Child Labour Policy and Action Plan, and the Strategic Focus Document for Rural Livelihood Mission.

 


Actively engaged in policy-making and advisory committees of the Indian Government, Dr. Basavaraju contributed to initiatives such as the New Education Policy – Vocational Education Group in Karnataka, the Advisory Committee for Rural Livelihood Mission, Sanitation Facilities Guarantee Act, and the $1 Trillion Economy Vision Group for Karnataka.

 


Dr. Basavaraju is equally passionate about academia and capacity development. He served as a visiting fellow at Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute, USA, and initiated the Public Policy and Program Evaluation (3PE) Certificate Course in India in collaboration with Cornell University. He has been a faculty for various courses for Civil Servants conducted by Administrative Training Institute, Govt of Karnataka, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute for Good Governance and Policy Analysis (AIGGPA), Govt of Madhya Pradesh and Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Hyderabad. He is designated faculty for designing and teaching a course on Rural Development for the Fellowship in Social Sciences (CFSS) Chanakya University. He is also part of academic committees / board of studies of various institutes of higher education including University of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Mount Carmel College (autonomous), St Joseph College (autonomous).

 


A sought-after speaker, Dr. Basavaraju has presented papers at national and international conferences, sharing insights on Human Development and Capability Alliance in Greece, International Budget Partnership workshops in Tanzania and Bangkok, Manchester University in the UK, MEL Conference of NITI Ayog in India, Indian Social Science Congress, Garden City University, Bengaluru, and Flame University, Pune.

 


As a dedicated professional, Dr. Basavaraju has been actively involved in corporate organizations, serving on the CII – South Region Committee on Education, Skill Development, and Employment. He is a life member of the National Institute of Personnel Management, India, and currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the NIPM Mysuru Chapter. Additionally, he has designed CSR Policies and Strategies for over 10 leading corporates, including PAGE Industries, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, ABB, Asian Paints, and Stelis Pharma.

 


In his earlier roles, Dr. Basavaraju served as the Deputy Director of the State Resource Centre on Child Labour, Department of Labour, Government of Karnataka, where he played a crucial role in eliminating child labor in collaboration with the International Labour Organization and UNICEF. He also served as the Head of Projects at V-LEAD, Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement. He played a key role in extending activities of the organization to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states in India. He led over 10 projects within the span of two years. His contributions were predominant in establishing V-LEAD as a credible training institute from inception. Over 25 training courses were developed and implemented under his leadership.  

 

 

Dr. Basavaraju holds a Ph.D in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Mysore, specialized in Rural Livelihood Policies and Programs. He is a post graduate in Business Administration and has completed a PG Diploma in Human Resource Management. His Bachelor’s Degree is in Economics, Mathematics and Computer Science. Dr. Basavaraju loves to spend his free time at his small farm and is interested in horticulture. He loves traveling and connecting with new people.   

 

Memberships in Policy Advisory Committees / Organizations:

  • India Coordinator – G20 Working Group on ‘Delivering Democracy’ – 2023
  • Principal Consultant – Karnataka Skill Development, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship Policy Preparation as the Lead Author – 2022-23
  • Member – Board of Studies in Sociology, St Philomena’s College, University of Mysore (2022-25)
  • Member – Position Paper on Vocational Education for Developing Curriculum Framework under National Education Policy 2020, Government of Karnataka, 2022-23
  • Member – South India Region Education, Skill and Employment Committee constituted by Confederation of Indian Industries for FOUR terms i.e. 2021-22, 2020-21, 2019-20 & 2018-19
  • Advisor - Emerging Technologies Centre (ETC), Indian School of Business and Intel Initiative
  • Member – Working Group for Framing Syllabus for Rural Development Course, Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Govt of Karnataka
  • Member - WASH FORUM as part of IHU-WASH activity at WASH LAB, NIE ,Mysuru under the initiative of USAID and NIUA, Government of India
  • Member – Curricula Review Committee – Job Readiness Training and Soft Skill Training for it is, Government of Karnataka (No: DET/TRG/SKILL/CR-61/2017-18m Date 19-12-2017)  
  • Member – South India Region Water Task Force constituted by Confederation of Indian Industries (2017)
  • Member – Karnataka Vision 2025 Sector Specialist Group and Authoring Skill Development and Employment Vision Document for the state (2017)
  • Member – Core Team of Consultants to develop Skill Development Policy for Government of Karnataka and Principal author of the policy draft (2017)
  • Member – State Level Committee for revision of Child Labour Action Plan (2016)
  • Fellow – Employment and Disability Institute, Cornell University, USA (2014-15)
  • Member – Advisory Committee for Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Mission, Government of Karnataka (2012)
  • Member – Drafting Committee of Karnataka Sanitation Facilities Guarantee Act (2014-15), Department of Rural Development and Panchayath Raj, Government of Karnataka  
  • Member - Advisory Committee to draft Land Purchase Policy for Housing Schemes in Karnataka, Department of Housing, Govt of Karnataka (2014-15)
  • Convener – Advisory Committee for drafting revised action plan for the elimination of Child Labour in Karnataka, Government of Karnataka (2010-2011)
  • Life Member – National Institute of Personnel Managers, India & Vice Chairman, NIPM Mysore Chapter 

 

Project Handled

# Name of the Project Assignment Partner Thematic Area Project Type Assignment Period
1 Adolescent Wellbeing- a Preliminary Study in Karnataka’s Government Schools PAGE Industries Limited Public Health Development Research Oct 2019

Mar 2020
2 We Mill-A Social Business Initiatives for Rural Women Wurth Electronics Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Nov 2019

Mar 2023
3 Evaluation of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) in Karnataka Karnataka Evaluation Authority (KEA) Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Jan 2019

Mar 2020
4 A study on School Development and Monitoring Committee PAGE Industries Limited Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Dec 2019

Jan 2020
5 Understanding the Presence of SDMC and the Challenges that Schools Pose to the Effective Functioning of SDMC PAGE Industries Limited Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Sep 2019

Dec 2019
6 Is School Mapping a Good Way to Bring in Stakeholders PAGE Industries Limited Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Jan 2016

Apr 2021
7 Sugamya Shiksha PAGE Industries Limited Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Jan 2016

Apr 2020
8 Karnataka State Specific Action Plan (KSSAP) on water: Towards Water Security, Safety and Sustainability: 2050 Advanced Centre for Integrated Water Resources Management (ACIWRM) Governance and Democratization Policy Engagement Dec 2018

Dec 2019
9 Community Need Assessment for CSR Intervention of Asian Paints Limited Asian Paints Limited. Governance and Democratization Community Consultation Dec 2019

Feb 2020
10 Formative Evaluation of the Programs Supported by ABFRL across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) and Partner organizations Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Apr 2018

Sep 2018
11 Evaluation and Impact Assessment of Skill Development Program for Less Privileged Youth under Titan’s Corporate Social Responsibility Titan Comany Limited Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Aug 2018

Mar 2019
12 Research & Strategic Consultation for the Establishment of NR Foundation’s PwD Skill and Employment Facilitation Centre NR Foundation Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Impact Innovation and Knowledge Consulting (IIKCON) Aug 2018

Dec 2018
13 Feasibility Study for the Implementation of Education CSR intervention at Selected Govt. Schools of Hassan Himatsingka Foundation Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Nov 2018

Jan 2019
14 School Toilet Requirement - Need Assessment Study Toyota Public Health Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Oct 2018

Dec 2018
15 Vision Document: Karnataka 2025 Employment and Skill Development Department of Planning, Govt. of Karnataka KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Sep 2017

Sep 2018
16 Developing Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for TITAN CSR Projects Titan Comany Limited Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Sep 2016

May 2017
17 Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) Baseline Survey: Karnataka Assembly Election, 2018 Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru Governance and Democratization Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Jan 2018

Apr 2018
18 Health Enrich NABFINS,SVYM,Rotary Club South (Mysuru),Wurth Electronics Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Apr 2016

Sep 2017
19 Policy for Procurement of Land for Residential Sites in Karnataka Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation Governance and Democratization Policy Engagement May 2015

Oct 2016
20 A study to measure the Impact of Participation in Self-help Groups on Livelihood, Economic Empowerment and Community Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation May 2015

Jun 2016
21 Process Evaluation of Prema Vidya SVYM Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Feb 2015

Mar 2016
22 Case Study: Employment Practices for Persons with Disabilities at WIPRO and CISCO Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation May 2015

Feb 2016
23 Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) Government of Karnataka Governance and Democratization Community Consultation Mar 2015

May 2015
24 Project Samvarthana: A Convergent Approach to Child Survival & Development UNICEF Public Health Impact Innovation and Knowledge Consulting (IIKCON) Nov 2015

Oct 2016
25 Field study in Semi Urban and Rural Areas of Mysuru District to Understand the Needs, Motivations and Aspiration of Adults in Low Income Communities Sattva Media and Consultating Pvt Ltd Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Dec 2015

Mar 2016
26 Orientation and Felicitation of Tribal Gram Panchayat Members Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Community Consultation May 2015

Jun 2015
27 Building Human and Social Capital at the core of CSR Strategy for PAGE Industries (Jockey) PAGE Industries Limited Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Community Consultation Jun 2015

Dec 2015
28 A Project to study Suitability of Prema Vidya Audio-Visual material for Teaching of Science, Math and Social Science at the secondary level in Yadgir District of Karnataka SVYM Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Jun 2014

Dec 2014
29 Strengthening Community Monitoring for Reduction of PDS Leakages Government of Karnataka Governance and Democratization Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Jan 2014

Jan 2015
30 Do People with Disability need a job in MGNREGA? Cornell University, ILR School Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Jan 2014

Jan 2015
31 Impact Evaluation of CMKKY and PMKVY in Selected Districts of Karnataka Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC) Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Nov 2020

Oct 2021
32 NISHTHA: Transforming Comprehensive Healthcare in India Jhpiego Public Health Community Consultation Dec 2020

Mar 2023
33 COVI Reach Aris Global Software Pvt ltd Governance and Democratization Development Research May 2021

Aug 2021
34 Sugamya Shiksha Aris Global Software Pvt ltd Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Mar 2021

Sep 2023
35 Impact Evaluation of MyQuest Programme in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat QUEST Alliance Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Sep 2021

Nov 2022
36 SVEEP Museum & Capacity Building Center Office of the chief Electoral officer, Karnataka Governance and Democratization Impact Innovation and Knowledge Consulting (IIKCON) Jun 2021

Aug 2021
37 Developing a Roadmap of Social Enterprise Ecosystem as a Precursor for a viable Social Stock Exchange in India NABARD Governance and Democratization Impact Innovation and Knowledge Consulting (IIKCON) Jun 2019

Jun 2020
38 Development of State of the 21st Century Skills Sector Report UNICEF Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Oct 2021

Feb 2022
39 A Study to Understand the Activities Engaged by Rural Government School Children at home due to COVID lockdown Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Jul 2021

Aug 2021
40 Navigating through the Dynamics of Indigenous Communities Acquisition and Safe-Guarding of Forest Rights Soliga Abhivruddi Sangaha, Hanur Indigenous Community Development Development Research Feb 2020

Jun 2020
41 Preparation of district human development reports - Kodagu and Kolar Human Development Division, Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Jul 2013

Jun 2014
42 Youth for Governance Fellowship – Mysuru PRIA,Hanns Seidel Foundation Governance and Democratization Academic Programs Jan 2023

Dec 2023
43 Skill Gap Study in selected districts of Karnataka Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC) Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Nov 2020

Mar 2022
44 A Study of Tribal Livelihood, Karnataka National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Indigenous Community Development Development Research Mar 2022

Dec 2022
45 Assessment of the Implementation of Ayushmaan Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWC) in India National Health System Resource Centre (NHSRC) Public Health Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Oct 2020

Jun 2021
46 Community Need Assessment Stelis Biopharma Limited Public Health Impact Innovation and Knowledge Consulting (IIKCON) May 2022

Sep 2022
47 To support case-study on Civil-society Participation in India’s Pandemic Response World Health Organisation Public Health Development Research Sep 2022

Feb 2023
48 A study on inclusion of vulnerable sections in the MGNREGA of Karnataka Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Government of Karnataka Indigenous Community Development Development Research Oct 2022

Dec 2023
49 Rapid policy assessment and analysis to identify gaps that need interventions for integrated NCD service delivery World Health Organisation Public Health Development Research Oct 2022

Dec 2022
50 India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2022-23 National Council of Applied Economic Research Governance and Democratization Development Research Nov 2022

Mar 2023
51 Evaluation of an implementation of Graduation Approach by The/Nudge Institute in North Karnataka The/Nudge Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Development Research Nov 2022

Feb 2025
52 Karnataka Skill Policy 2023-2030 Government of Karnataka Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Policy Engagement Dec 2022

Jan 2023
53 Perspectives and practices of tribal traditional healers on health and health systems across different states of India: Mixed method study Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute Public Health Development Research Dec 2022

Dec 2023
54 Evaluation of Samagra Shikshana Karnataka from 2018-19 to 2020-21 Karnataka Evaluation Authority (KEA) Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Jan 2023

Jun 2023
55 Tracer Study for Technical Vocational Education and Training TVET Employment Outcomes of Graduates from ITIs in Karnataka Karnataka Evaluation Authority (KEA) Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Jan 2023

Nov 2023
56 A study of the health status needs and access of the nomadic tribes of Jammu and Kashmir World Health Organisation Public Health Development Research May 2023

Dec 2023
57 G20- C20 Delivery Democracy Working Group Coordination Government of Karnataka,Hanns Seidel Foundation Governance and Democratization Policy Engagement Feb 2023

Nov 2023
58 Certificate Program: Introduction to Public Policy Quality Council of India Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Academic Programs Jan 2019

Dec 2022
59 Introduction to Public Policy- IPP Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Academic Programs Jan 2022

Oct 2023
60 Voice of Students Survey Learning, Skill Development and Livelihood Policy Engagement Dec 2023

Feb 2024
61 Social Impact Assessment (SIA) of the Project - “Habitat Restoration in Degraded Forest Lands Supporting Tribal Livelihoods and Community” Indigenous Community Development Social Impact Assessment & Evaluation Jan 2024

Apr 2024


Professional and Academic Pulications and Presentations

·      Karnataka Vision Document - 2025 for Skill Development an Employment Sector for Government of Karnataka  

·      Policy on Skill Development, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship to Government of Karnataka: 2017-2030

·      Strategy Focus Document for Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Mission, Govt of Karnataka

·      Agency Empanelment Manual and Output Grading Manual for Karnataka Evaluation Authority, Govt of Karnataka

·      Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Chapter (As part of Social infrastructure and human development in Karnataka) for Economic Survey of Karnataka 2022-23 

·      Concept Plan for No School Bag Day for Karnataka Education Department  

·      It’s dignity, not just a welfare measure which is needed for PWD. Academia Letters, Article 606. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL606.

·      Development process sans catalyst, a newspaper article, 2020/5/10 (https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/development-process-sans-catalyst-836029.html)

·      Invited Speaker in the CII Regional Summit on Quality & Sustainable Education. Presentation on Components of Education System and its management held on 18th July 2019 at Chennai, India

·      Awareness level of beneficiaries with respect to the concepts and services of Sanjeevini – A study of Mysuru District. International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology, 5(3) www.IJARIIT.com.

·      EFFECT OF SANJEEVINI IN LIVELIHOOD DIVERSIFICATION AMONG THE MEMBERS OF SELF-HELP GROUPS‾A STUDY IN MYSORE DISTRICT OF KARNATAKA, PARIPEX‾INDIAN JOURNAL OF RESEARCH : Volume-8 | Issue-5 | May-2019

·      Technical Speaker – CSR Symposium Organized by SDMIMD in collaboration with EFMD & Third Sector Research Resource Centre, University of Mysore (http://sdmimd.ac.in/csrsymposium2019/)

·      Invited Speaker in the Skill Development and Employability Workshop organized by Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore in collaboration with the Planning Department of the Government of Karnataka on  16th January, 2018

·      Invited Speaker in the CII - SR Regional Summit on Skills, Education and Entrepreneurship ‘Forging Partnerships – Way forward strategy and solutions’ held on 02 August 2018  at Chennai, India

·      Guest Speaker for the Management Development Programme for National Health Mission, Odisha personnel on Public Health Communication , advocacy and report writing organized by Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Hyderabad on May 28th, 2018

·      Paper Presentation - ‘Business model of Health enrich- A Rural Social Business Initiative by GRAAM’ on 9th March 2018 at the Garden City University, Bengaluru in the international conference TRANSITION 2018 on Forgotten Ethnic Foods of India

·      Presented a paper on Developing Public Policy for People’s Wellbeing from the grassroots perspective at the XL Indian Social Science Congress held at University of Mysore from 19th to 23rd December 2016

·      Presented a (co-authored) paper on the influence of formative assessment on identifying local health needs of reproductive and child health at the XL Indian Social Science Congress held at University of Mysore from 19th to 23rd December 2016  

·      Presented paper on ‘Self-help Group Model for Eliminating Poverty, Promoting Community Inclusion, and Building Capabilities for Persons with Disabilities in Rural India, in Human Development and Capability Association Annual Conference, Athens, Greece, September 4, 2014  

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