Kumar Rajesh Email & Phone Number

New Delhi, Delhi, India

Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

* Policy and governance advisory/support to the Government of Uttarakhand to expedite inclusive growth and accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the state. This involved formulating public policies such as the Employment Policy, Women's Policy, M&E Policy, Nutrition Policy, and more.* Replicating good governance practices, simplifying procedures for service delivery, and enhancing ease of living.* Supporting the Government of Uttarakhand in knowledge management initiatives: drafting policy briefs, state economic survey, coordinating state-led large-scale surveys, and organizing economy and policy dialogues, among other tasks.

New Delhi

Under the Delhi Assembly Research Centre (DARC) fellowship, I was attached to the Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat. * Provided policy and governance research support to the Hon'ble MLAs and various committees of the Delhi Legislative Assembly.* Assisted different Department Related Standing Committees, the Peace & Harmony Committee, and the Committee on Petitions of the Assembly in examining critical legislative, policy, governance, and development issues referred by the Hon'ble Speaker of the Assembly. * Drafted six committee reports on legislative and policy issues, covering areas such as health, education, and governance. It also includes working on a matter referred by Hon'ble Justice (Retd.) Rohini Commission, appointed by the Hon'ble President of India, which involved the sub-categorization of OBCs in India.* Performed emergency duties with the office of Hon'ble Dy. Chief Minister, Delhi, assisting in programs related to the COVID relief efforts of the Government of NCT of Delhi. * Organized and presided as the 'Speaker' of the Delhi Youth Parliament in 2019.

New Delhi Area, India

Led a research project titled "100 Hotspot: Snapshot of Socially Excluded and Vulnerable Population Groups & SDGs in India" aligning with the spirit of "Leave No One Behind." The project was spread across 14 states in India and tracked 14 different vulnerable population groups on the UN-SDG framework. GIZ and BfDW funded the project, and WNTA executed it in partnership with Amnesty International, Save the Children, the International Civil Society Centre, and other regional CSOs/CBOs.* Identified fourteen socially excluded and vulnerable population groups (SEVP) such as single women, the Musahar community, transgender people, nomadic tribes, etc., whose granular development data is not collected by government surveys, and therefore their progress on SDGs is not reported by VNRs reports.* Established partnerships with CSOs/CBOs working with the selected SEVP groups.* Collaborated with experts from MOSPI-GoI and INGOs such as Oxfam, Save the Children, Sightsavers, etc., to develop an indicator framework and research tool for the study.* Collaborated with ATLAN (a data intelligence company) to develop a mobile app for data collection in the project locations.* Organized training workshops on research tools, household mapping, operating the mobile app, etc., for a team of 28 community volunteers from the selected SEVP groups to collect data from 1400 households and conduct FGDs.Select Achievements:* Co-authored the first Vulnerable Community-led Indian report on UN-SDGs, presented at the UN HLPF-2019.* The project was identified as an "SDG Good Practice" by UN-DESA.* Established a proof of concept that vulnerable communities can report their progress on SDGs after requisite capacity building.

New Delhi Area, India

Wrote opinion pieces on contemporary social policy issues. 1. Why More Women are needed in Parliament. August 18, 20182. Reducing Maternal Mortality: Miles to Go, July 28, 20183. The Compensatory Afforestation Riddle, July 15, 2018

New Delhi

*Prepared structure and conducted background research for the India Inequality Report 2019.*Drafted policy briefs and other outputs (such as think pieces, blog-posts, factsheets, newspaper articles, etc.) in accordance with Oxfam India's strategic plan highlighting Oxfam India’s policy position on issues like gender inequality, malnutrition & responsible business. *Started an advocacy and outreach initiative especially with the elected representatives on different project thematic of Oxfam India to influence policymaking & implementation

India

I wrote on a series of contemporary socio-economic and policy issues.1. Exactly How 'Empowered' Are Women In India?, March 07, 20182. Data On Sexual Violence In Marriages Shows Why India Should Progress Towards Criminalising Marital Rape, February 24, 20183. Bihar, MP, Rajasthan And Uttar Pradesh Have Deplorable Public Health Facilities And High Child Mortality Rates, February 15, 20184. Why Union Budget 2018 Is Neither For The Poor, Nor The Marginalised, February 02, 20185. In The Upcoming Budget, The Government Must Make Amends For Chronic Malnutrition In SC And ST Children, January 29, 20186. How Tribals Were Left Behind In India's Race To Achieve Millennium Development Goal Of Eradicating 'Extreme' Poverty, January 22, 20187. The SCs And STs Still Have The Highest Child Mortality Cases, January 17, 2018

New Delhi Area, India

1. Tribal Development Report (Two Volumes): A status report on development situation of Scheduled Tribes in Central Indian Tribal Belt (Routledge-2022).2. De-notified Tribes Children of Maharashtra: Case Studies from 'Punaruthan Samarasta Gurukulam', Pune-Maharashtra.3. Joint Call for Proposals for India: 2016-17- European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights - Country Based Support Scheme (EIDHR-CBSS): Secured funding worth INR 7 Cr.4. Qualitative Assessment of Cluster Facilitation Teams as a strategy for execution of Apna Khet Apna Kaam under MGNREGA in Jhalawar and Dungarpur districts of Rajasthan.

New Delhi Area, India

Legislative Aide to Mr. P.L. Punia (M.P. Rajya Sabha & Chairman - National Commission for Scheduled Castes):* Conducted research and prepared briefs on different matters to be discussed in Parliament.* Assisted the Honorable MP in raising matters of national importance in the House through making submissions, raising questions, etc.* Prepared parliamentary questions, motions, and speeches for debates and assisted the Honorable MP in drafting Private Member Bills.* Provided necessary support to the Honorable MP in analyzing government policies, schemes, and legislation, and dealt with Parliamentary Committee meetings on Labor, as well as constituency-related work.* Conducted a holistic evaluation of Union Budget 2016-17 and prepared key suggestions and recommendatory proposals with a special reference to the Scheduled Castes sub-plan for submission to the Ministry of Finance.* Provided research assistance to Mr. P.L. Punia in his capacity as Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.* Provided research assistance to the Joint Secretary, NCSC in the preparation of the Annual Report 2015-16 of NCSC and drafting a Special Report on the effective utilization of funds under SCSP.