THE CEDSJ TEAM

The CEDSJ team is our most important resource. We have a multi-disciplinary team of experts, which is passionate about bringing a positive change in the fields of environment, water and food security, gender equity and social development. Due to declining trend of financial support for research-based activities in the recent past, we follow a contractual system wherein we draw from our pool of experts and resource persons as and when required ensuring best-t for our needs. We also make use of local resource persons and line department personnel based on demands of the projects. Our core team includes:

Dr. Kanta Ahuja


Chairperson, Professor Emeritus
Prof. Kanta Ahuja is a founder member and Chairperson of CEDSJ and has been a guiding force for the Centre since inception. She has been instrumental in keeping focus on our vision and our quest for excellence and stay true to our commitment for a better environment. She has a brilliant academic career from Delhi, Agra and Michigan Universities. She is an eminent educationalist and economist. She has taught International and development economics at Masters and Research level for almost 30 years. She is former Vice- Chancellor of University of Rajasthan, Jaipur and MDS University, Ajmer. Before that, she served the University of Rajasthan as Principal, Maharani College, Professor and Head, Dept. of Economics, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Director, Social Science Research Centre. She haslong experience of teaching and guiding research. Her areas of expertise include economic growth and development, Political Economics, livelihoods, income security and unemployment.
Dr. Ahuja has been founder Member and Hon. Associate Director of Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur, Chairperson of Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' School and visiting professor at Agnes Scott College, Decatur, USA. Presently, she is faculty in international development courses at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Dr. Ahuja's knowledge and contributions have been widely recognized by the Govt. of India which has nominated her as Director of various public sector banks and Member of a number of committees/ councils such as University Grants Commission's Pay Review Committee, the Governing Council for Universities and Colleges in India, Working Group of the National Sample Survey, High Powered Committee on Fertilizer Prices, Expert Group for review of the structure and programs of the National Institute of Rural Development and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council for Universities and Colleges in India. She has been President of Indian Economic Association and Member of the Governing Council of Tata Institute of Social Science Research. SEBI nominated her as public representative on the Board of Jaipur Stock Exchange.


Late Dr. N S Jodha


Professor Emeritus (2017-19)
Dr. Narpat Singh Jodha, did his Masters from Delhi School of Economics and PhD from University of Rajasthan. He started his career with CAZRI Jodhpur in 1963 and worked with IARI New Delhi and various government institutions before shifting to different CGIAR Centers in India and overseas including ICRISAT Hyderabad and IITA East Africa. He worked as agricultural economist in south Asia as well as East and West Africa. Later he moved from arid and semi-arid tropics to focus on mountain regions as Head of Mountain Farming Division at ICIMOD, Kathmandu. He was briey with the Environment Resources Division at the World Bank before rejoining ICIMOD and working on different aspects of mountain development in various capacities. He returned to India in 2017 to live a semi-retired life, pursuing some of his book projects at the Centre for Environment and Development Studies, Jaipur as Professer Emeritus during 2017-2019.
Jodha's pioneering work covered famine and poverty, common property resources, mountain development, and climate change. He authored, edited or contributed to dozens of books. He was honoured as a Fellow of World Academy for Art and Science in 2001. He also served as the President of Indian Society of Ecological Economics from 2004 to 2006. He also served as t he President of the International Association for the Study of Commons from 2004 to 2006. He was elected as Conference President of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics in the year 2008.

Dr. Vidya Sagar

Professor Emeritus
Professor Vidya Sagar has studied at the Delhi School of Economics and Rajasthan University for his Masters degrees in Economics and Statistics respectively. Prof. Vidya Sagar retired as a Professor from the Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur in 2008. Prior to that he has taught Economics at the University of Rajasthan Jaipur for 29 years and worked as a Scientist at the Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (ICAR). He last served as a professor and the Program Coordinator in Economics at the Central University of Rajasthan.
His research interests include issues related to the Indian agriculture, food security, rural poverty and human development besides environment and demography. He has authored/ coauthored Rural Transformation in a Developing Economy (1987), Rural-urban Flow of Funds (1992), Economics of Goat Keeping (1994), and Agricultural Credit in India (2004), Dry Lands in India: Natural Resources and Livelihoods (2010); and has edited/co-edited Fertilizer Pricing: Issues related to Subsidies (1993), Sustainable Agriculture, poverty and Food Security (2002) and Economic Development in Rajasthan(2007). He has published 40 research papers in journals of International repute.
He is a visiting Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex (U.K.) and a Consultant with the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization (UNFAO). He has been on the Editorial Board of the Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics


Dr. M S Rathore

Director Dr. M S Rathore is the Director of CEDSJ. Ph.D. (Agricultural Economics), 1980, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. Specialization in Production Economics. Ph.D. work was carried out at the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad from May 1977 to September 1978. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled "Factor Combination and Resource Use Efciency on Small and Large Farms - A Comparative Study of Hill Agriculture and Semi-Arid Tropics". He completed his M.Phil. (Agricultural Economics) from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla and M.A. (Economics), from University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. He specializes in Econometrics and Mathematical Statistics. His work experience includes:
  • Former Senior Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies Associate Professor at the Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. He Specializes in the areas of Agriculture Economics and Natural Resources Management, Environment and Development. Policy Analyst, Institutional Expert and Laws and regulation Analyst.
  • FAO Farming System Consultant in Oman, Professional staff at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal (Work area China, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bhutan), Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Sussex, K.
  • Lead researcher in the area of water policy and water security with more than 45 years of experience in the eld. Author of 5 books and more than 60 research project reports and more than 100 research articles in national and international

Prof. Kanchan Mathur

Anthropologist (Gender Specialist) Dr. Kanchan Mathur is currently Professor (Honorary) at the Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur. She has over 30 years of experience of research, training, consultancy and advocacy issues related to gender and development in India and South Asia. She is the author of 'Countering Gender Violence: Initiatives Towards Collective Action in Rajasthan' (Sage publications 2004) and has also published extensively in edited volumes and journals of national and international repute. She is closely involved with policy level interventions and mainstreaming gender concerns into planning and implementation. Her varied areas of interest include women's empowerment, gender based violence, sexual and reproductive health, child labour, social protection policies, education of marginalized girls and gender and WASH issues.  

Prof. Virendra Singh Bhadauria

Prof. V. S. Bhadauria is an economist with more than 40 years of research experience in Agricuture Economics and Rural Finance. After acquiring post graduate degree in Economics from Rajasthan University in 1972. In 1973 he moved on to Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla where he worked in two Researh Institutes supported by Government India, namely, Agro-Economic Research Centre and Cost of Cultivation Scheme. In 1978 he moved on to work in NABARD as Rural Economist and rose to the position of Chief General Manager. For most part of his service in NABARD he worked in Department of Economic Analysis and Research. In this department his main responsibility was to monitor agricultural nance projects, ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of agriculture and non-agriculure projects, preparing banking plans for area development agriculture/non-agricultre projects, prepare research papers for the department, write chapter on rural credit for Annual Report of NABARD. Also, he worked as Economist in the Deparment of Infrastructure Development which was responsible for implementation of Rural Infrastructure Fund created by the Government of India in NABARD. Here he conducted and prepared guidelines for ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of minor/medium/major irrigation projects, rural road projets and other rural infrastructure projects. He headed three Regional Offces of NABARD, namely, Jammu and Kashmir, at Jammu Maharashtra, at Pune and Bihar at Patna. He also headed NABARD Staff College Lucknow, an institute to impart training to ofcers of NABARD; as also Bankers' Institute of Rural Development, Lucknow, established for training staff of Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks, and other institutes connected with Rural nance such as NGOs, etc. He has also served on the Board of Regional Rural Bank Jammu and State Cooperative Banks of Maharashtra and Bihar as ex-ofcio director. He also served on the State Planning Board of Bihar and a few other institutions connected with rural development. After superannuation from NABARD in August 2008 he joined Institute of Development Studies as Chair Professor, Bank of Baroda Chair on Rural Finance for three years. Prof. V. S. Bhadauria has several research studies and papers to his credit.  

Mahendra Mehta

M.Sc. (Tech) in applied Geology with Specialization in Ground Water, Roorkee University, 1969, B. Sc, Udaipur University, 1963. Employment Record: Director, Superintending Hydro-geologist (1989-1997), Central Ground Water Board, CR Nagpur, Regional Director (1997- 2002), Director (Admn.) & Regional Director Head Quarter (2002-2004), Central Ground Water Board, CHQ, Faridabad, and Retired as Commissioner (GW), Member Central Ground water Board & Central Ground water Authority, Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India. Countries of Work Experience: India, Zambia, U.S.A. He has more than 46 years of experience in planning, implementation monitoring and supervision of projects/schemes related to ground water exploration/development, Rain Water Harvesting and Artificial Recharge to Ground Water and Minor Irrigation, Policy planning at National & State level. During last 46 years worked in varied climatologically & hydro-geological situations covering deserts, humid areas, hilly areas of Himalayas and trans Himalayas, hard rock and alluvial terrain. During this period developed indigenous technology and design for rain water harvesting and Artificial recharge to ground water. Also having administrative experience for Human Resources Development, technical monitoring and planning since worked as Director Administration and Regional Director (HQ) Central Ground Water Board & Commissioner Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India. Developed specialization in Rain Water Harvesting and Artificial Recharge to Ground Water. Implemented various schemes including at President Estate, New Delhi, Golden Temple, Amritsar, largest Recharge Shaft (300 m) in Dhuri Drain, Punjab, etc. Assisted GHS for two DST projects namely for Baharat and Jhunjhunu projects. First time RTRWH concept was introduced in Eastern Rajasthan in one school In Bharatpur District. Also prepared the booklet on Revival and Restoration of water bodies and same was printed by DST. In JBF Jodhpur revived the number of water bodies with community participation.  

Prof. Shiv Dayal Singh Shekhawat

Economist Dr. Shiv Dayal Singh Shekhawat, Dean, Faculty of Social Science, Head, Department of Economics,Director, UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, and Dean, Student Welfare, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer. Important Positions held by him are;
  • Member, Board of Management , Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer (Since July 2017)
  • Govt Nominee, Selection Committee of Teachers and Oficers of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Shekhawati University, Sikar (January, 2018-2019)
  • Member, Board of Management, Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education Nominated by of Rajasthan (March, 2015-2019)
  • Member, Governing Board of Centre for Environment & Development Studies, Jaipur (Since 2007)
  • Member of Governing Board of Centre for Entrepreneurship Small and Business Management, (Since 2010)
  • Director, UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer. (Since September 2019) Publications: Research Papers: 14, Paper presentation in Seminar/Conferences: 43, Book Chapters: 04, Books: 02
 

Shashikant Chopde

Resilient Development Specialist Sh. Shashikant Chopde, a Post Graduate Civil Engineer, has about 25 years of experience in the development sector especially in water management, climate- and disaster- risk reduction and urban resilience. His recent experience spans more than ten years on urban resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) on conducting detail vulnerability assessments and developing resilience strategies, plans, providing capacity and implementation technical support, capacity building, developing indicators for monitoring and measuring resilience building for a number of Tier-II cities, and mainstreaming DRR and CCA in Development Planning using District- and State- Disaster Management Plans (DDMPs/SDMPs) in multi- and diverse-hazard contexts in India. He has led/ contributed in preparation of numerous proposals for multilateral and bilateral agencies, foundations and allied programmes of donors  

Dr. Kamal Singh Raghav

Dr. Kamal Singh Raghav, Geologist B Sc, M. Sc Geology from A. M. U., Aligarh and Ph. D. Geology (Quaternary Geology Geomorphology and Desert Environmental Studies ) from Rajasthan University, Jaipur. Joined Geological Survey of India as Assistant Geologist in 1981 and Retired as Superintending Geologist/ Director in 2013 from Jaipur Regional ofce. In between worked at many places in India. His

Specialization is in Quaternary Geology, Geomorphology, land Degradation ,land use, Environmental hazard Mapping, Large scale (1:25,000) Thematic Mapping and type Sections Studies. Also Mineral Prospecting, Exploration and Development of Mineral Targeting plan through Drilling and National Geochemical Mapping. Publications (in Journals & Seminar Symposium Proceedings) – 43, Scrutiny, Processing and Editing of Books, Journals & Proceedings of Seminar Symposium- 13, Abstract, Published in National and International Seminars/Workshop – 21, and Reports Submitted in GSI-25  

Dr. Madhu Bhargava

Dr. Madhu Bhargava, MA. Economics, worked at the Institute for Development Studies, Jaipur (1982-84, the Center for women Development Studies (1985-87) and Human Reproduction Research Center (ICMR) (1987- 2016) She holds 44+ years of experience as a medical health professional for Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). She has spent more than 35 years as a medical health professional in Zenana hospital, Jaipur. The key areas of intervention include clinical trials for contraceptive like E-Pills, comparison between CuT, Injectable Net-EN and illegal abortion in Rajasthan. She holds an expertise in women health issues and has been a key policy change maker for contraception policies & family planning. She has also trained Medical Officers (MO's) for MCH. Also conducted trials for contraceptives to add to the contraceptive basket. Did a field survey to and actual condition of PHC and Sub-Centers in 6 districts of Rajasthan to report the baseline condition of health care infrastructure. Projects include comparison of rings for female tubectomy, compare efficacy, acceptance, side effects of CuT 200 and CuT 360.

Narendra Pratap Singh

Senior Research Officer Education: B. Com. (1991), Purvanchal University, Jaunpur, M. Com. (1993), Purvanchal University, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh Work Experience: Senior Research Officer at the Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur (1996-2008), Senior Research Officer at CEDSJ since 2008. In the last 24 years involved in 53 projects/research studies in the area of natural resources management, impact, mid-term and end-term evaluations, and baseline surveys, etc. Specialize in conducting field surveys, data collection and tabulation, data analysis and assisting team leader in report writing. Worked in a different capacity in conducting and organizing various kinds of trainings at the Institute. Also worked as event manager for various national and international seminar and conferences organized at IDS, Jaipur and the Centre for Environment and Development Studies, Jaipur (CEDSJ).

 

Ladulal Sharma

Senior Research Officer Education: B. Sc. (Biology), University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, 1981 Work Experience: Senior Research Officer at the Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur (1996-2008), Senior Research Ofcer at CEDSJ since 2008. In the last 24 years involved in 53 projects/research studies in the area of natural resources management, impact, mid-term and end-term evaluations, and baseline surveys, etc. Specialize in conducting eld surveys, data collection and tabulation, data analysis and assisting team leader in report writing.   Worked in different capacity in conducting and organizing various kinds of trainings at the Institute. Also worked as event manager for various national and international seminar and conferences organised at IDS, Jaipur and the Centre for Environment and Development Studies, Jaipur (CEDSJ).