The consultant has a good academic grounding, with a Ph.D. in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (1983). He has 29 years of professional experience in management of developmental projects and programmes. He is familiar with the approaches of Project cycle management and use of logframes as tools for planning and monitoring, with development concerns and financial and contracting procedures of multilateral and bilateral development aid agencies (acquired through working as National TA Co-ordinator and Rural Development Advisor for the BAIF-EU Transfer of Technologies for Sustainable Development Project and as Sociologist in the Technical Assistance Team of Haryana Community Forestry Project).
His professional experience has been closely related to the major areas related to the issues addressed in the KfW supported Participatory Natural Resource Management Project in Tripura , namely, interventions that can contribute to enhancing livelihoods and conserving forests and natural resources in the context of enabling provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers Bill, JFMM rules, PESA etc. Forest Based Livelihoods. Specific experience related to the 11 tasks listed for the consultant is demonstrated by the following:
• As co-ordinator of the Northern Regional Centre for the National Afforestation and Eco Development Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, was instrumental in training Forestry Staff and Office Bearers and members of JFMCs and SHGs in participatory forest management, PRA, microplanning and forest based livelihoods in the States of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi. Also organized several workshops, seminars, “travelling workshops” and exposure visits all India Regional Centres Coordinators workshops etc.
• As Member Technical Assistance Team of Haryana Community Forestry Project from 1999 to March 2008, the consultant has been instrumental in evolving the Organization and Management structure of Community Forestry Management; formation of Village Resource Management Institutions and SHGs and; capacity building of Forestry staff and office bearers and members of CBOs and partner NGOs. He was involved in preparation of Overall Work Plan, Annual Work Plans, revision of logframes, preparation of training material and training calendar, imparting of training, gender mainstreaming, organisation of workshops and exposure visits etc were major contributions. Baseline studies, Capacity Assessment of VRMCs (3 Rounds), Capacity Assessment of SHGs (2 rounds), Village Benefit Studies (2 rounds) were important outputs. He was also instrumental in NGO contracting, institutional capacity assessment of village institutions, Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation, support to supervision, mid term and final evaluation missions etc.
• Team Leader of multidisciplinary M&E teams for the Chhattisgarh Tribal Development Programme and Jharkhand Tribal Development Programme since 2005. In Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, this IFAD supported livelihood improvement project targets the backward tribal communities.
• The major components are grass roots empowerment through Gram Sabhas under PESA and awareness generation of tribal rights and development and capacity building of other CBOs like Village Programme Executive Committees, Watershed Committees, Credit Groups, SHGs and Common Interest Groups; land and water management; production systems enhancement ( agriculture, horticulture, livestock) Community Forest Management; and health and nutrition. Responsibility of the consultant is to develop computerized management information system, conduct six monthly concurrent evaluations, assess programme impacts through benchmark and periodic evaluation studies and strengthen capability of programme staff to carry out Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation. Capacity Building of programme staff and village people in Participatory M&E is one of the major features of the assignment. Our studies have brought out the threat to tribal livelihoods by the diminishing production and access to non-timber forest products and have emphasized the need for accelerating the work of Community Forest Management Committees.
• The consultant was the coordinator for the assignment “Lead M& Agency and State Level M&E Agency” for the World Bank supported Rural Women Development and Empowerment Project (Swashakti) from 2000 to 2005. Major tasks included development o Computerized Project Management Information System, Concurrent Monitoring and Evaluation and Impact Evaluation. The project centred around promoting Womens Self Help Groups and spring boards for economic and social empowerment of poor women.
• Co-ordinator, Concurrent Monitoring and Evaluation of over 4000 contract farming projects funded by National Medicinal Plants Board in 28 States and 3 Union Territories of India. The job involves visiting each project focusing on end use of NMPB funds, growth parameters of the plantations, interaction with farmers, buyers, processors and other elements of the supply chain.
• Currently in the team for the assignment for Monitoring and Evaluation of World bank supported Maharashtra Water Sector Improvement Project, responsible for assessing the Participatory Irrigation Management Component through water Users Associations and Farmer Interest Groups formed under the agricultural extension component of the project.
§ Initial four years of professional work has been with a Non-Government Organization; In most of the assignments, worked closely with Civil Society Organizations and was involved in their selection, capacity building and monitoring.
