Dr. S.Y. Quraishi has had a distinguished career as a civil servant and election administrator in India, serving as the 17th Chief Election Commissioner from 2010 to 2012. He introduced electoral reforms that increased voter participation and controlled money in politics. Dr. Quraishi has also held several leadership roles promoting youth development and public health initiatives in India. He is a renowned speaker and author on topics of democracy, elections, and development.

1. Brief Bio-sketch of Dr. S.Y Quraishi
Former Chief Election Commissioner of India
1. Born on June 11, 1947, in Delhi, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi joined the Indian
Administrative Service in 1971 and after holding several strategic
and key positions, rose to become the 17th
Chief Election Commissioner
of India, the world’s largest democracy.
2. He figured in The Indian Express list of 100 Most Powerful Indians of
2011 and again in 2012
He also figured in India Today's Power List of 100 most powerful Indians,
2012.
3. Education, Research and Training:
i) M.A (History), St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University 1969
ii) Ph.D Deptt. of Social Work J M I University, Delhi 1992
(Role of Communication and Social Marketing in Dev. Of Women and
Children)
iii) Certificates in German, Persian and Arabic, 1968-69.
4. A Professional and Proactive Public Servant:
(i) Chief Election Commissioner of India, July 2010- June 2012
(ii) Election Commissioner of India, June 2006- July 2010
(iii). Secretary, Govt. of India Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, 2005-
2006
(iv) Director General, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO),
2004-2005
(v) Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Steel 2003-
2004
(vi) Director General, Doordarshan ( National Television) January, 2002-
Sept. 2003.
(vii). Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Haryana September, 2000-
December, 2001.

2. (viii) Commissioner & Secretary, Irrigation and Power Departments
Haryana, 1997-1999
(ix) Joint Secretary, Youth Affairs, Govt. of India, 1992-1997
(x) Director General, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (Nehru Youth
Centres Organisation) 1993-97
(xi) Director, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development,
1994-97
xii) National Coordinator, Youth Action on AIDS (Oct. 1993 -March
97).
5. An Ambassador of Democracy: Chief Election Commissioner of India
As the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner of India
(2006-2012), he introduced a number of innovative electoral reforms,
established an Expenditure Control Division and a Voter Education Division
in the Commission. By this he controlled money power elections and brought
about a participation revolution among voters. He also founded the India
International Institute of Democracy and Election Management to
professionalize election management and share it with the emerging
democracies of the world. Over 70 countries have received training in this
institute within five years.
He has been a Member of the Board of Advisors of International IDEA
(Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance) Stockholm since
December 2012. He was also a Member of the Advisory Committee to assist
and advise the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security,
headed by Mr Kofi Annan (2010-12).
Observer of elections in Russia and South Africa. Also in Kenya as a member
of Commonwealth Observers Group ( Feb-Mar 2013), Azerbaijan ( Oct,
2013) and Mozambique (Oct 2014). Led the observer group of AAEA
(Association of Asian Election Authorities of Asia) at Sri Lanka Presidential
Election 2014. Assisted Union Election Commission Myanmar Nov 2015.
Assisted and observed National Elections of Myanmar, Jan 2016. Gave a
keynote address on Forum for Electoral Reforms in Myanmar (15-16 Sept
2016).
Delivered the Keynote Address at GEO 13, the world assembly of Election
Commissioners at Incheon, S Korea. (Oct 2013)

3. Delivered the Keynote Address at the Global Conference on Electoral
Risk Management, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Dec 2015)
6. Great Promoter of Youth Development: He founded the Rajiv Gandhi
National Institute of Youth Development at Sriperumbudur (TN) and was its
first Director from 1993 to 1997. This has now been declared an institution of
national importance. He developed India’s National Perspective Plan for
Youth-2020. As a Consultant to UNICEF, he developed an approach and
strategy paper for the ‘Draft National Plan on Youth in the Service of
Children’ that extensively covered gender issues. He was Chairman of the
Committee to draft 'SAARC Youth Charter’ which later was endorsed as
"SAARC Resolution on Youth" in the SAARC Summit (1995). He was a key
Member of the Project Advisory Board for the UNDCP-ILO Project-
"Developing Community Drug Rehabilitation and Workplace Prevention
Programmes in India" under the Ministry of Welfare, Govt. of India.
Introduced a new strategy- YUVA, Youth United for Voter Awareness that
created participation revolution in Indian Elections.
8. Contribution to Health and Family planning: Special contribution to the
policy and program development in the health sector, women and child
development sector includes;
I. His book ‘Social Marketing for Social Change’ has broken new ground
in the field of development communication.
II. One of his monographs is: Social Marketing of AIDS Awareness: An
Indian Experiment 1994).
III. Two path-breaking papers namely “Islam, Muslims and Family
Planning in India”, and, “Islam & AIDS”.
IV. The UNFPA nominated him as a Specialist and Resource Person for
the International Conference on Islam and Family Planning at Ankara,
1995.
V. He also led an innovative educational program called ‘Universities
Talk AIDS’ (UTA) in more than 10,000 colleges and 300 Universities
of the country. It was adjudged as one of the best practices of the
world.

4. VI. As Special Secretary, Ministry of Health and Director General of
NACO - National AIDS Control Organization, he gave a new
direction to the program. He converted the HIV/ AIDS in India from
Project mode to Programme Mode and was the first DG NACO.
Introduced Adolescent and Sexual Health education program in
secondary schools of the country. He puts India’s AIDS program on
the world map. He created the Red Ribbon Express, the HIV
awareness train that has been running for a decade.
VII. Appointed Hony Chairman Sightsavers India ( Royal
Commonwealth Society for the Blind)
VIII. Chairman of the Board of HIV AIDS Alliance, India
IX. A member of the Independent Commission on Development and
Health in India working to draft the New National Health Policy.
X. Chairman of a committee of National Institute of. Health and Family
Welfare, New Delhi to prepare a White Paper on Family Planning
for advocacy with the political leaders.
9. Corporate Experience:
(a) As Power Secretary Haryana 1997-99 pioneered Power Sector Reforms
and successfully negotiated a World Bank loan of 600 million US dollars
for reform and privatization of power sector in the State - the biggest ever
loan given to any State, and significant grants from DFID, UK (Pound 15
million), CIDA, Canada (Pound 4 million), USEA (USA) and USAID,
and a loan of $400 million from OECF (Japan). World Bank Quality
Assurance Team evaluated the project as one of the ten best in the world
at the entry stage.
(b) Created the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission.
(c) Unbundled the Haryana State Electricity Board into 4 Corporations.
(d) Was Chairman GENCO (Haryana Power Generation Company) and
Chairman of both the DISCOMs (Power Distribution Companies) South and
North Haryana.
(d) Created Haryana Energy Development Agency for renewable energy
promotion. Established twinning with Netherlands in non-conventional
energy sector.
(e) DG, Doordarshan, the world's largest Television network of the Public
Broadcasting Corporation of India (2002-03) where he innovated the
concept of “narrow casting” for local community television.

5. (f) Chairman Haryana State Industrial and Investment Corporation (HSIIDC)
2001-02
(g) Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor of the Ministry of Steel,
Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy ( Renewable Energy ) and Ministry
of Ocean Development (now known as Earth Sciences) 03-04
(h)Director on the Board of Steel Authority of India (SAIL) a Maharatna,
among top 5 Public Undertakings
(i) Director, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) one of top 20 Public
Undertakings
(j) Director, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), one of
top 20 Public Undertakings
(k)Director, Kudremukh Iron Ore Corporation a Public Undertaking
10. Awards and Honours:
He has received several prestigious awards in recognition of his contribution
to civil society and human development issues. Some of these are:
'Nehru Fellow- Award from Nehru Children's Museum, Calcutta as a part
of 300 years of Calcutta1
celebrations (the only Civil Servant in a galaxy of
international awardees for innovative and outstanding work in the field of
child welfare).
Secular India Harmony Award, 1988, given by the. Vice-President of India
for the United Children's Movement, New Delhi, "(for outstanding -
contribution for human understanding).
Silver Elephant - the highest National. Award of Indian Scouts and Guides
given by the President of India (1995), in recognition of service of most
exceptional character to the movement.
NDTV Indian of the Year 2013 and 2009
Defender of Democracy by Chauthi Duniya Group of Newspapers 2011
Many others.
Honorary Fellow, National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU), UK
(May 2016)
11. Conferences Addressed : Dr. Quraishi is well known in India and abroad
as a development thinker and for his inclusive style of leadership and for
bringing harmoniously together wide varieties of groups and institutions for
achieving the common objectives of development.

6. He has travelled widely to represent India at international conferences and
dialogues - including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan,
Nepal, Bhutan, U.S., UK, Mexico, Brazil, OECD, Paris and Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, Washington,DC.
He has addressed conferences in several Universities like Yale, Harvard,
California Berkeley, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, (US) and London,
Oxford, LSE, Hull (UK). Uppsala ( Sweden), University of Warsaw ( Poland)
BRAC Univ, Dhaka ( Bangladesh), Catholic University of Louvain
(Université Catholique de Louvain), Belgium.
12. Author of several books. Some of these are:
'An Undocumented Wonder - the Making of the Great Indian Election'
(2104)
Old Delhi- Living Traditions. Coffee table book, on the heritage city. 2010
Social Marketing for Social Change (1996)
Haryana Rediscovered - A Bibliographical Area Study (1984)
13. Latest:
FICCI Fellow 2015, at the India Institute, King's College, London.
Honorary Fellow,
14. Distinguished Fellow, Ashoka University, Rai, Sonepat, Haryana
Contact Address:
Dr. S. Y. Quraishi,
901, Sector 17 B,
Gurgaon-122001
Email: syquraishi@gmail.com,
09810928844

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