Sharmistha Mukherjee

Classical dancer and social activist, Sharmistha Mukherjee is a woman of varied interests and accomplishments. A highly talented Kathak dancer and choreographer, Sharmistha has performed extensively in India and over forty countries abroad. A consummate orator, Sharmistha is a regular speaker in seminars and conferences on various aspects of Indian polity and society; especially focusing on issues of gender inequality. She has been an active member of Indian National Congress, holding different responsibilities within the party including being a national spokesperson. But currently she is on a sabbatical from politics. As a columnist, she wrote extensively on art and current affairs for New Indian Express and Asian Age, also contributing occasionally to other magazines and periodicals including EPW. Presently she is working on a book on her father Pranab Mukherjee.

Mr. Shekhar Dutt

Shri Shekhar Dutt started his career in 1967 as an Indian Army officer and was awarded Sena Medal for Gallantry in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. He then joined the Indian Administrative Service in the M.P. cadre.  As Director Irrigation and Power in the Govt. of MP, he was involved in modernizing Thermal Power Generation and Distribution Systems and also setting up many Small and Micro Hydel Power Generation projects. He was also Director Command Area Development in the Govt. of India handling maximization of Irrigation and Power production and distribution of all Major Irrigation Dams of the country.

 He was Managing Director of M.P. Dairy Federation in the late 1980s when he increased the Milk and Milk Product Marketing many folds bringing the state into a leading Dairy Production Hub. He also assisted Dr Kurian in setting up the National Dairy Technology Development Mission. He was also in the Board of National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI) and Institute of Rural Management, Ahmedabad (IRMA) during this period.

 As Principal Secretary of School Education, Sports and Youth Affairs and of Tribal Development Departments in M.P. (1996-2001) he introduced the Education Guarantee Scheme and the ‘Shiksha Karmi Bharti Niyam’ which helped in universalizing elementary education. During his tenure, he introduced large scale Teachers’ Education and Training through the Distant Training, Teaching and Learning Mode using ISRO Satellites. 

Earlier, as Joint Secretary Defence Production (1991-96) in the Ministry of Defence he was in the Board of Directors of six Defence Companies. During this time he was involved in setting up a large number of new projects like Manufacture of Tanks (T72) at Avadi (TN), Engine Factory at Chennai (TN), BMP2 Factory at Medak (A.P.), Factory for Ammunition of 155mm guns at Badmal (Odisha), Ordinance Electronic Factory (OLF) at Dehradun (UP) and INSAS Rifle Project of Ordinance Factories at Kolkata and Kanpur. During this period he was also in the Board of Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) Bangalore, Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) Bangalore, Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) at Hydrabad , Mazgaon Dock Ltd (MDL) Mumbai, Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers (GRSE) Kolkata and Goa Ship Yard (GSL) Goa of which he was also the Chairman for some time. During this period he initiated the production of cutting edge electronic equipment like Radars and more than 17 Modern Warships

In the Central Government, as Director General of Sports Authority of India (2001-03) he organized the necessary training and coaching of Indian National Team enabling India to win the highest ever 69 medals in the Manchester Commonwealth Games 2002. In the Asian Games at Busan also the Indian tally of medals was its highest ever in Asian Games. He also organized successfully the Afro- Asian Games at Hyderabad which was the first ever Inter-Continental Games.  As Secretary in the Ministry of Health (2003-04)he set up the National Institute of Siddha (NIS)at Chennai, the National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) at Bangalore and the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) for digitally storing the traditional knowledge of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani Medicinal systems. 

He worked as Secretary Defence Production (2004-2005) where he was responsible for overseeing and facilitating production of various Land, Sea and Air Systems. As Defence Secretary (2005-2007) of India he initiated a number of measures towards increasing the pace of modernization as well as bringing about greater probity in Defence Procurement. He was instrumental in concluding the new Indo-US Framework for Defence Relationship in 2005.This opened up Indo – US Defence and Technology Relationship between the two democracies. He was responsible for finalizing the charter of Indo-German as well as Indo-Japan and also Indo- Australian Defence Cooperation; all three of which were new treaties.

After retirement he became Deputy National Security Advisor in the PMO (Aug 2007- Jan 2010) where he looked after the issues concerning all the aspects of the Strategic Defence as well as the relative aspects of National Security.

Shekhar Dutt assumed the office of the Governor of Chhattisgarh in Jan 2010 and was Chancellor of 11 State Universities and Visitor of 6 private Universities. He was instrumental in setting up the National Centre for Natural Resources in Ravi Shankar University, Raipur with the help of Dept of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.

He has been conferred with the Degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc) Honoris Causa by the University of Engineering and Management, Kolkata in 2017.  He was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Letters (DLitt) and named as an Honorary Fellow of the Swansea University, UK in 2018.  He was given the Honorary Fellowship of The Institution of Engineers (India) in December 2011. The Paul Appleby Award for 2016 was conferred upon him for distinguished services to Public Administration by IIPA. He was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Congress of Ethnopharmacology in 2018 at Dhaka, Bangladesh. He also served on the Board of Governors of DeSales University, USA from 2008 to 2010.

Shekhar Dutt has authored 2 books – Reflections on Contemporary India and India’s Defence and National Security. He has also authored a number of articles on national security, development and solar power in various journals and compilations.

At present, he is Member, Executive Council of the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi; Member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Joint Warfare (CENJOWS), Ministry of Defence, GOI; Director General Solar Power Developers Association; Member of the Governing Board of the University of Engineering and Management (UEM), Kolkata; Member of the Central Board of Harijan Sewak Sangh; Member Advisory Board of Society for Ethnopharmacology; Chairman National Advisory Council of Indian Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine (IASTAM) and  Patron, Global Counter Terrorism Council. (GCTC).

Professor  Anil K Gupta 

Professor  Anil K Gupta is a visiting faculty, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad; after retiring in 2017;  and at IIT Bombay, NIPER, Ahmedabad & AcSIR; Ph.D. (Management), MSc. Biochemical Genetics, Fellow, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Fellow, the World Academy of Art and Science, Indian National Science Academy; Founder, National Innovation Foundation, Nifindia.org,  SRISTI.org and, GIAN.org; CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow, 2018-21

Mission is to expand the global as well as local space for innovations from and for  grassroots, link ideas in informal and formal sector, ensure recognition, respect and reward for creative communities, individuals, children and tech students etc., ; augmenting open innovations by  individuals, institutions, corporations,  and countries through  frugal, flexible and friendly empathetic platforms. Support start-ups and blend community knowledge with institutional science and technology.

He facilitated Festival of Innovation (FOIN, 2015-2017) and  of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (FINE) through NIFindia.org, hosted by the office of President of India  at The President’s House ( March 19-23, 2018); pursues research on public policy for inclusive innovations,  building global value chain to get the grassroots and youthful creativity its due; link technology youth with the problems of MSME, and  other innovators (techpedia.sristi.org), unlocking corporate and public/private institutional  creativity through empathetic open innovations, support strategic organizations for making breakthroughs innovations; Organise Innovations awards under Honey Bee Network umbrella  for young tech students gyti.techepdia.in in collaboration with BIRAC, DBT; international HBN creativity and inclusive innovation awards (HBNCRIIA) in collaboration with UNDP Acc Lab network for adults through GIAN;  Dr APJ Abdul Kalam ignitedmind awards for children  through SRISTI and GIAN etc.

Invited lectures

Lectured on unleashing innovation potential at UNESCAP, UNEASCO, UNDP, Viacom, Endurance Technology, DHL, JCB, SAP Labs,  ORACLE, CISCO, HP, GE Research Centre, Siemens, Volvo, Biocon Bristol-Myers Squibb Research Center, Dr Reddy’s Lab, Zydus Cadilla, JSW, D E Shaw investment firm, Tata Innovation Awards, ZEF, CGIAR, FAO, IFAD, World Bank, LBSNAA, IISc, ISI, IITs,  JNU, Harvard, MIT Boston, Indian Oil, Entrepreneurs Organization, InnoHealth International Conference, Evolve Brand, Global Network Summit, Global IP Convention 2018, National Conference on Technological empowerment of women, Barclays Speaks, Welcome Trust/DBT India Alliance, INCF: Porter Prize,, etc., apart from numerous top academic and public policy institutions worldwide.  He has pursued Shodhyatra, learning walk in every state of India once covering more than 6000 km during 1998-2021 along with Honey Bee Network volunteers.

 Book 2016, Grassroots Innovation: Mind on the margin are not marginal minds, New Delhi Penguin Randomhouse;  http://www.amazon.in/Grassroots-Innovation-Minds-Margin-Marginal/dp/8184005873, received best Business Book Award at Tata Lit Live festival, Nov 20, 2016.

Positions: have been Board Member for varying durations , GMATF; NIPER, Mohali, Planning Board, Central University of Jammu; Member, Committee to review the functioning of Central Insecticides Board & Registration, Chairman (2017-18), CSIR-800 SMC committee, Member, Research Council of CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat; Member, Working Group on Development Agenda for New India for Science & Technology Sector; Member, Committee for Evaluation of ITRA Scheme, Member, committees on Artificial Intelligence. Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY),  Chairman, Selection Committee for Plant Genome Saviour Community Award 2015-18, Member, Screening Committee of CSIR-NMITLI IOP, Member, Selection Committee for Visitor’s Awards, 2015-18, Member, JBA 2018 Selection Committee meeting of Science and Technology;  Distinguished Visiting Professor, IIT Bombay, 2017-18;  Editor, Honey Bee, a quarterly newsletter on grassroots green innovations, 1990 – present; Visiting Professor, Centre for Management in Agriculture, Public systems group,  Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, retired  after teaching for 36 years; Member Advisory Committee, Future Innovation Forum, Seoul, 2016-2018; Member, IIMA Board of Directors, 2015-2017, Member, advisory board, Global Innovation Centre, UNICEF, New York (2015-2016); Member, Board of Directors in EdCIL (India)  2013 – 2016; Member, National Innovation Council, Chaired by Adviser to Prime Minister (2010-2013); Director, Dena Bank, 2006-09; Kasturbhai Lalbhai Chair in Entrepreneurship, IIMA (2003-2008); Chairperson, Ravi J Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation, IIMA, 1993-1994; Chairperson, Research and Publications, IIMA, 1990-92; Exec Vice Chair, National Innovation Foundation (2000-2018); Coordinator, SRISTI and GIAN and Honey Bee Network;

Teaching: 

Management of Inclusive Innovations for Social Transformation (MIIST), UNDP Innov Acc lab along with Prof Anamika Dey, CEO, GIAN, and jointly taught Meeting the UNMET needs, ACSIR, ISIKG, IIMA (2018-2021);

Taught PPIDI with Hon’ble Former President of India Late Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Globalising and Resurgent India through Innovative Transformation (GRIT) with Bharat Ratna late Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, former President of India (2008-12), Shodhyatra (learning walk in Himalayan region), Strategic Management of Intellectual Property Rights (SMIPR), Indian Social and Political Environment (ISPE, 1995-2007), Design and Development of Development Organizations (DDDO, 1981-90), Economic Environment and Policy (1981-1994), “Understanding Creativity, Innovation, Knowledge Networks and Entrepreneurship (CINE), Introduction to Agriculture & Agri-Business Leadership.

Honours:  CSIR Bhatnagar Fellowship 2018-21,  Best Researcher award at IIMA, 2015, Humanistic Management Lifetime Achievement Award by the Humanistic Management Network, at the 73rd Annual meeting of the Academy of Management, USA, 2013; Ph.D Honoris Causa, San Martin de Porres University, October, Peru 2015;  Doctor of Letters from Central University of Orissa, July, 2012; Hermes Award  European Institute for Creative Strategies and Innovation, Paris, 2012; Padam Shri, 2004, a national civil award by The President of India;  Adjudged as one of the fifty most influential people in the field of intellectual property rights around the world in 2003, Managing Intellectual Property 2003, Adjudged as one of the Star Personalities of Asia, Business Week, 2001, apart from several other national and international honours.  Member of many governmental and corporate bodies, Prof. Gupta is a widely published author; 

 See anilg.sristi.org.