1. Ashis Kumar Gharai, M-35, Skype: ashis.gharai, Contact: +91-9636626546
Career Overview:
Over 12 years of experience in the sector and out of which 7 years in various progressively responsible capacities
as Team Lead & State Head (Sustainable Forestry & NRM based Research Projects), Project Director (CSR-
Integrated Village Development & Agriculture Based livelihood), Program Manager (Rural Livelihoods, Natural
Resource Management, women empowerment, good governance), State Representative (Child Protection-health
& nutrition, education, wellbeing) with leading national/ international research and development organizations
of repute such as Forest Research Institute, Wildlife Institute of India, UNDP, Child-Fund India, UNICEF, a
navaratna company like NMDC and many govt. departments and ministries. Currently live in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Academic or Professional Qualification:
M Sc. Forestry (Economics & Management) from Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education- FRI
University-Dehradun (2001-03) with Certificate Course on Wildlife& Eco-tourism from IIT- Kharagpur (2004) and
Research Fellowships from Wildlife Institute of India- Dehradun (2006-07)
Skill set & Expertise:
Effective and able leadership, large scale bilateral collaborative project management, monitoring & evaluation,
stakeholder engagement, Institutional networks, coalitions and building strategic alliance, adaptability to
multicultural work environment, Self-motivated, Effective Communication, Engaging Documentation, Working
with People
List of Relevant Past Work Experiences (Total 12 years):
Organization/
Designation/ Location/
Period
Responsibilities/ Achievements
ChildFund India
Area Manager/ State
Representative-
Rajasthan
July 2014- Dec 2015
Head of program operation at State Level: Team management, setting
direction, supporting, implementing and decision-making. Proactively involved
with the national coordination team to develop Country Strategic Plan aligned
with regional priorities
Sustainable LivelihoodDevelopment Projects (SLDP)- Youth centric, Economically
viable models for Agriculture/ Forest based Entrepreneurship development,
Youth Resource Center, Skill Based livelihood training
Stakeholder Engagement, Institutional networks, Coalitions and Building Strategic
Alliance
Community level institution building to nurture them to become change agents
for their society
Scoping & accessing for future interventions and management of grants

2. National Mineral
Development
Corporation (NMDC)-
CSR
Project Director- CSR
Dantewada- CG.
April 2013- June 2014
Project Director for CSR initiatives: Planning and management of projects and
strategic inputs on Paddy Productivity Improvement & creation of micro-
irrigation facilities/ watershed management for 1200 marginal farmers. Led a
team of over 200 community workers and young professionals to implement the
project.
Engagement with District & state authorities and create community platforms
NTFP/ Green Vegetable based enterprise development leading to economic
benefits for the forest dependent and women empowerment
United Nations’
Development Program
(UNDP)- India
State Project Manager-
Odisha
Nov 2010- Mar 2013
Operation Head at State Level: Led the project through effective daily project
management, including administrative, budgeting, planning and general
monitoring, strategic inputs on effective fund utilization
Ensured adequate information flow, discussions and feedback among the various
stakeholders
Deliberated with Dept. of Forests, State/ District Biodiversity Board Odisha to
ensure effective of community based natural resource management
Ensured that participatory methodologies employed by the project are
particularly sensitive to women’s participation
Centre for People’s
Forestry (CPF)
Program Officer-
Sustainable Forestry
Andhra Pradesh and
Jharkhand
Dec 2007- Oct 2010
Coordination with NGO partners and Govt. counterparts to implement various
sustainable forestry programs, implementation forest based livelihood activities
and resource use patterns of rural communities
Developed comprehensive understanding of the existing forest management
practices of the community to design site specific action plans to improve their
level of awareness regarding forest conservation and SFM
Created a database of forest resources present, resource harvesting and
utilization patterns in the VSS managed forest through biodiversity register
review/ resource mapping, Micro planning exercises
Worked closely towards constitution and smooth functioning of grass root BMCs
as per Biological Diversity Act 2002
Wildlife Institute of
India, Dehradun
Research Fellow
Jan 2003 – Aug 2003
July 2006 – Nov 2007
Dissertation on “Nesting Ecology of saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) in
Bhitarkanika NP, Odisha” –as part of my masters
Part of the elite research team of the GoI & WII collaborative project titled as
“Monitoring Tigers, its Co-predator and Prey base”
Collected comprehensive information (with the help of Forest Department) on
tiger population, its prey base and co-predators in FIVE Tiger Reserves in the
central Indian landscape
Consolidated and analyzed data collected from various TRs through Capture-
Recapture models and other wildlife investigating software like PRESENCE,
DISTANCE 5 and CARE 2
Conducted awareness programmes on conservation of the flagship species, in
and around the concerned protected areas

3. Unicef (Orissa),
Programme
Coordinator (Block)-
Health & Sanitation’
Jan 2005 – June 2006
Reproductive and Child Health Phase II, Community Health & Sanitation and
Integrated management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI)
Coordinated with various Service Providers like Integrated Child Development
Scheme (ICDS), Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) and Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) etc. working at the block level for the proper
implementation of various ongoing National health programs in the state &
imparted training and facilitated effective implementation of IMNCI Programs
Work towards strengthening community health & sanitation and routine
immunization
Research & Publications:
• Biodiversity Mapping and Ethno-medico botanical aspects of in and surrounding areas of Rayagada
district, Orissa- (Gharai A., Manar P.- 2004 Ethno-Botany of Rayagada Forest Division, Orissa-Unpublished
Report)
• “Establishment of Community Based Enterprise on Sal Seed Oil Extraction” in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand-
(Gharai A. 2010- Booklet Published by CPF, Hyderabad)
• Book Review Team Member- “Directory of Community Conserved Areas of Odisha and Madhya
Pradesh”, published by UNDP-India/MoEF, 2012
• Kandari LS, Gharai AK, Negi T, Phondani PC (2012) Ethno-botanical Knowledge of Medicinal Plants
among Tribal Communities in Orissa, India. J Forest Res Open Access 1:104. doi:10.4172/jfor.1000104
Self-Development & Trainings:
 As a master trainer, imparted a 8-day-training on RCH & IMNCI to frontline ICDS/ Health workers
 Represented UNDP as UN Observer in the eleventh meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP) to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held at Hyderabad 0ct 2012
 Participated in the national level ‘Management Development Programme’ on Criteria and Indicators for
Sustainable Forest Management at IIFM, Bhopal in Nov 2008
 Participated in the state level discourse on implementation of Forest Rights Act in Andhra Pradesh in
2008-09 and incorporated learning in program implementation
 Represented ChildFund-India at the International Workshop on Resource Mobilization (IWRM) held at
Delhi, Aug 2014
Belief:
The prime motivation is to engage with a different set of challenges and to use whatever learning I
have gained so far from the experiences I have had. And I believe I have effective and able leadership
skills, adaptability to multicultural work environment with multi-cultural and diverse teams and have the
willingness to put the hard yards. Given an opportunity I sincerely believe I am competent enough to
do justice to the position and would love to have a long-term engagement while positively contributing
to enhance the profile of the institute.

4. Ashis Kumar Gharai, Place: Udaipur, Rajasthan