Distinguished Fellows

  • A B Mathur

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    Shri Avadhesh Mathur belongs to the 1975 batch of Indian Police Services (Manipur / Tripura Cadre). He served in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cabinet Secretariat for approximately 30 years and retired as Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office in the year 2012. He also served in the United Nations as Head of the UN Mission in North Kosov (2012-2014). Currently he is a Member of the National Security Advisory Board.
    During the span of almost 45 years, Shri Mathur has been closely involved in national security issues both at operational and policy level. He has been involved in political analysis and negotiation, conflict resolution, security sector development and strategic communication in bilateral and multilateral settings. His work also included knowledge of international dimensions of terrorism, ethnic/ caste violence and its ramifications.

    Shri Avadhesh Mathur belongs to the 1975 batch of Indian Police Services (Manipur / Tripura Cadre). He served in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cabinet Secretariat for approximately 30 years and retired as Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office in the year 2012. He also served in the United Nations as Head of the UN Mission in North Kosov (2012-2014). Currently he is a Member of the National Security Advisory Board.
    During the span of almost 45 years, Shri Mathur has been closely involved in national security issues both at operational and policy level. He has been involved in political analysis and negotiation, conflict resolution, security sector development and strategic communication in bilateral and multilateral settings. His work also included knowledge of international dimensions of terrorism, ethnic/ caste violence and its ramifications.
  • Prabha Rao

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    Ms. Prabha Rao is Executive Director, South Asian Institute for Strategic Affairs and Distinguished Scholar at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. She is a former IPS officer from Karnataka cadre (1982 batch) who went on a deputation to cabinet secretariat and served in several locations abroad. She also runs an NGO — Encourage India, for skilling victims of trafficking and left-wing extremism.

    Ms. Prabha Rao is Executive Director, South Asian Institute for Strategic Affairs and Distinguished Scholar at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. She is a former IPS officer from Karnataka cadre (1982 batch) who went on a deputation to cabinet secretariat and served in several locations abroad. She also runs an NGO — Encourage India, for skilling victims of trafficking and left-wing extremism.
  • Karuna Gopal

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    Smt. Karuna Gopal is an internationally acclaimed Thought leader, Innovator and Advisor on Smart Cities. She is the Founder President of Foundation for Futuristic Cities, a think tank that has influenced Urban Transformation in India for over a decade. Ms Gopal contributed to the design of the ‘100 Smart Cities Mission’ of India and has been invited to speak at the launch of the Mission by the Prime Minister. Her innovation SCULPT your CITY -2009 has shaped the Mission guidelines and has been declared a National Best Practice. In 2015, Ms Gopal was senior advisor, Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs on behalf of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She was also one of the urban experts to have carried out a mid-course evaluation of the National Mission Program ‘ Clean India – Swacch Bharat Abhiyan on behalf of Asian Development Bank (ADB). She currently serves as the National In-charge of Women Policies for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    Smt. Karuna Gopal is an internationally acclaimed Thought leader, Innovator and Advisor on Smart Cities. She is the Founder President of Foundation for Futuristic Cities, a think tank that has influenced Urban Transformation in India for over a decade. Ms Gopal contributed to the design of the ‘100 Smart Cities Mission’ of India and has been invited to speak at the launch of the Mission by the Prime Minister. Her innovation SCULPT your CITY -2009 has shaped the Mission guidelines and has been declared a National Best Practice. In 2015, Ms Gopal was senior advisor, Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs on behalf of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She was also one of the urban experts to have carried out a mid-course evaluation of the National Mission Program ‘ Clean India – Swacch Bharat Abhiyan on behalf of Asian Development Bank (ADB). She currently serves as the National In-charge of Women Policies for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
  • Come Carpentier

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    Côme Carpentier de Gourdon is currently a consultant with India Foundation and is also the Convener of the Editorial Board of the WORLD AFFAIRS JOURNAL. He is an associate of the International Institute for Social and Economic Studies (IISES), Vienna, Austria. Côme Carpentier is an author of various books and several articles, essays and papers.

    Côme Carpentier de Gourdon is currently a consultant with India Foundation and is also the Convener of the Editorial Board of the WORLD AFFAIRS JOURNAL. He is an associate of the International Institute for Social and Economic Studies (IISES), Vienna, Austria. Côme Carpentier is an author of various books and several articles, essays and papers.
  • Rami Desai

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    An alumnus of King’s College, London she has degrees in Anthropology of Religion and Theology. She has been actively involved in research, fieldwork and analysis of conflict areas, with a special focus on the North East region of India for over a decade.

    An alumnus of King’s College, London she has degrees in Anthropology of Religion and Theology. She has been actively involved in research, fieldwork and analysis of conflict areas, with a special focus on the North East region of India for over a decade.