Dr. R A Mashelkar

Prof. K A Padmanabhan

Prof. K A Padmanabhan

Prof. K A Padmanabhan was the Director, IIT Kanpur, from the afternoon of 30th September, 1997 till September 14, 2001. Prior to that he was holding the appointment of Dean, Academic Research at IIT Madras while being a Professor and Head, Metal Forming Laboratory, in the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at the same Institute since 1980. Prof. Padmanabhan obtained his B. Sc. (Met. Eng.) (Hons.) Degree from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi and Ph.D. from Cambridge University, U. K. in 1972. Apart from teaching and research, he has wide academic administrative experience serving in various capacities, such as Head of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Founder Organizing Chairman of Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and Chairman of Center for Continuing Education, all at IIT Madras.

He has won many academic distinctions, honors and recognitions. In July 1998 he was conferred the Sc.D. degree by the University of Cambridge, U. k., for his research contributions being the sixth Indian and the FIRST Indian Engineer to obtain this distinction from that University. Eight technologies developed by him and his colleagues are used in Indian industries.

Further, Prof. Padmanabhan was the FIRST Indian to receive in 1994 the Forschungspreis (a career research award) of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany. He is an Honorary Academician, Bashkirian Academy of Sciences, Russia, a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, London, a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, India and the Institution of Engineers (India). He is a Consulting Fellow of the World Innovation Foundation.

D.R. Metha

D.R.Mehta

D.R. Mehta has been a civil servant for almost four decades and has extensive and diverse experience of administration and management of public affairs. D.R. Mehta was Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which likes the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the central banking authority, is an apex regulatory body; SEBI deals with the regulation and development of the capital market in India. During this period, the capital market in India has been transformed into a modern, efficient, safe, investor-friendly and vibrant market.

Almost for the last 4 years, Mr. Mehta has been the Chairman of the Asia Pacific Regional Committee (APRC) of International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) having a membership of more than 100 capital market regulators of the developed and emerging markets. APRC includes the countries like Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

From November 1992 to February 1995, Mr. Mehta was the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. In this capacity, he was looking after the Department of Banking Operations and Development and Exchange Control. He was also dealing with agriculture, urban and export credit. Besides, he was handling the implementation of the banking reforms. The new norms for asset classification, provisioning, capitalization were introduced during his period. He also headed the High Powered Committee on Integrated Rural Development (IRDP) report of which was accepted by Government of India and Reserve Bank of India.
Mr. Mehta was appointed as Deputy Governor soon after the securities irregularities of 1992, he was charged with the responsibility of taking action against the defaulting banks and for introducing systemic changes.

Before joining the Reserve Bank of India, Mr. Mehta worked for about 2 years as the Chief Controller, Imports and Exports (re-designated as Director General of Foreign Trade), Ministry of Commerce, Government of India. During this period, radical reforms were introduced in the export and import policy of the country. All the exports were virtually freed from the controls. Import of capital goods and most of the consumer goods were also similarly freed.

Earlier, Mr. Mehta was the Additional Secretary, Banking in the Ministry of Finance, Government from 1985 to early 1989, when he was dealing both with the reforms and governmental oversight of the banking sector of the country. For a short while Mr. Mehta also served as the Secretary of the Committee on Financial Policy in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India.

Earlier during 1979 to 1985 Mr. Mehta served as Joint Secretary, Banking and Controller of Capital Issues in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. During this time also several reforms were introduced and systematic improvements were brought about.

Apart from the commitment of Mr. Mehta to his official work, he is deeply involved in the social causes both at the policy and actual operational levels. In 1975 he had set up the Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayata Samiti, a non-governmental organization. This institution has already fitted artificial limbs, calipers and other aids and appliances to more than five lakh handicapped persons. Indeed this organization is the largest limb-fitting organization in the world.

On the literary and cultural side, Prakrit Bharati Academy, set up by him has emerged as a major cultural and literary organization. It has already published 130 books; presently the institution publishes about 10 books a year on Indian culture, history, tradition etc.

Urjit Patel

Urjit R. Patel

Dr. Patel is presently India Economics Fellow at the Brooking's Institution. Prior to that he was Director at Financial Technologies (India) Limited.  He was involved with financing of infrastructure in India for almost a decade as Executive Director, Infrastructure Development Finance Company Limited.  He was also a Consultant to the Ministry of Finance, Government of India (1998-2001).  Since June 2005 he has been a Board Member of the Multi Commodity Exchange of India; he also serves as an independent director of the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC).  He has served on diverse official committees and task forces, including those pertaining to pension reform, direct taxes and most recently, Government of India’s Expert Committee on Integrated Energy Policy. 
Dr. Patel has also worked for the International Monetary Fund and from 1995 to 1997 he worked at the Reserve Bank of India on deputation from the IMF. Dr. Patel has a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University.

Rohit Modi

Mr Rohit Modi

Mr Rohit Modi, born on October 1, 1962 received his Bachelor of Economics (Hons.) from Sri Ram College of Commerce (1983) and Masters in Economics from Delhi School of Economics (1985). He joined the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) in 1985 and served till 1999.  From 1999 to 2006, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Tamil Nadu Road Development Company Ltd (TNRDC), a 50:50 joint venture of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (TIDCO) and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS).

Since December 2006, he is the Chief Executive of the Roads, Bridges & Airports Developmental Projects and the Vice President in Larsen &Toubro Ltd (L&T). In his current assignment, Mr Modi is responsible for BOT Projects worth Rs 4000 Crores, being implemented by L&T. 

Mr Modi has had an illustrious career in the Indian Administrative Services and held various senior positions in Government of India and State Government of Manipur.

During his eight year tenure in State Government of Manipur (1986 – 1994), he served as the District Collector and Chief Executive Officer in two districts. He also worked as Director, Departments of Transport, Tourism, Urban Development, Municipal Administration and Housing. His other assignments included the post of Chief Executive Officer of the State Urban Development Authority besides dealing with Health, Family Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Departments of the State Government. Mr Modi was Secretary to Government of Manipur prior to joining TNRDC in 1999.

From 1994 to 1998, Mr Modi served as Deputy Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India as the Officer-in-charge, dealing with ADB, IFC, IMF and World Bank. He headed Government of India’s Working Group on External Debt Management. Apart from managing the entire portfolio of World Bank in the areas of infrastructure, finance, urban development, industry and coal, Mr Modi was the nodal point for IMF and IFC’s transactions and interface with Government of India. He led Indian negotiating teams for securing loans in excess of US$ 5 Billion from World Bank and Export Import Bank of Japan, for over a dozen projects.

At TNRDC, Mr Modi successfully steered project development of the 113 km East Coast Road and implemented the Project in a record time of less than 12 months. The road has set new benchmarks for highways development in the country. Mr Modi evolved a comprehensive road map for TNRDC aiming to position it as a model Public-Private Partnership venture in the country. TNRDC was also entrusted with the development of a world-class IT Corridor in Chennai. During Mr Modi’s tenure, TNRDC managed projects worth Rs 1000 crores, including as Managing Associates to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for their Chennai Ennore Port Connectivity Project, Access to Golden Quadrilateral Project in and around Chennai City, Lalapet ROB and O&M of Chennai Bye-Pass.

In 2004-05, Mr Modi conceived, initiated and obtained the mandate for Rajasthan Mega Highways Project for the Road Infrastructure Development Company of Rajasthan Ltd (RIDCOR), another joint venture between Government of Rajasthan and IL&FS. As the first Managing Director of the Company, Mr Modi developed, negotiated and finalized a unique and path-breaking Partnership & Development Agreement (PDA) for the Project with the State Government, in lieu of the conventional Concession Agreement. By January 2006, in less than 12 months since project conception, the Rs 1500 Crores Project had achieved technical and financial closure, and Integrated Improvement cum Performance based Maintenance Contracts were awarded for 858 km road stretches, out of 1053 km of aggregate project roads. The first stretch of 138 kms has since been completed, within the planned period of 15 months.

From April, 2000 to September, 2001 Mr Modi held additional charge as Managing Director & CEO of Mahindra Industrial Park Ltd. During this period, he ensured that most of the lands required for the 1100 acre industrial Estate/ SEZ were acquired/bought and transferred to the Company and the infrastructure development was substantially completed.

A man of integrity, vision and passion, Mr Modi possesses formidable intellect, commitment and drive to transform vision to reality. His experience and exposure in multiple sectors of infrastructure, financing and social services is perhaps unparalleled.

Mr Modi is married to Dr Shalini Modi and has two sons Apoorva and Ananya. An avid movie and theatre buff, Mr Modi enjoys traveling and visiting new locales.

Prof. Devesh Kapur

Professor Devesh Kapur

Professor Devesh Kapur is Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India. He was a visiting professor in IIM-Ahmedabad. He is an associate professor of political science at Penn and holds the Madan Lal Sobti Professorship for the Study of Contemporary India. Prior to arriving at Penn, Professor Kapur was an associate professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He has also remained the Frederick Danziger Associate Professor of Government at Harvard. His research focuses on human capital, national and international public institutions. Professor Kapur has also done research on the ways in which local-global linkages affect political and economic change in the developing countries.

Dr. R. K. Bhandar

Dr. R. K. Bhandari

Dr Rajendra Kumar Bhandari is the Chairman of Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management at the Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore. He is an eminent geotechnical engineer and a well known science administrator. His fields of specialization are Natural Disaster Reduction, Disasters Crisis Management, Disaster Planning, Response, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation, Institutional Capacity Building, International Cooperation in Science and Technology, and Geotechnical Engineering. His professional experience spans over 40 years of work involving disasters due to Earthquakes, Landslides, Floods, and Cyclones.

Dr Bhandari is the recipient of Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Indian Institute of Technology (2001), Mumbai. Bhasin Foundation Award for Science and Technology (1988), Jaikrisna Prize (1992), Distinguished Engineer Award of the Institution of Engineers (India) and Distinguished Rotarian Award of the Rotary International, all for work on Natural Disasters. Other awards include Science Research Scholarship of the Royal Commission of UK for the Exhibition of 1851, 1967-71. IGS- Kuekalmann Award (2000) of the Indian Geotechnical Society. Plaque of Honor from the Japanese Society of Soil Mechanics (1987). Plaque of Honor from the South East Asian Geotechnical Society, December 1987. AIMIL Gold Medal, December 1979, and the A.S. Arya Disaster Prevention Award of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (2005).

He has served as Coordinator of Natural Disaster related activities of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (2001-3). Member: High Powered Committee on Natural Disasters (2001-2003). Member, Gujarat Government Task Force on long range strategy for Mitigation of Disasters. Member, Committee of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) on setting up Institute of Seismic Research and Application, Gujarat. Member, DST Committee on Seismic Microzonation of Delhi ;National Coordinator: Disaster Knowledge Network on behalf of the High Powered Committee. National Coordinator: Indo-China Joint Workshop on Natural Disasters; Member: Research Council of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun. Member: Research Council of Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi; Coordinator: Landslide Atlas of India for the Building Materials Technology Promotion Council of the Government of India; Chair, Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Committee of Bureau of Indian Standards and a Council Member of Institution of Engineers.

Before taking over as the Chairman of CDMM at the VIT, he was the Programme Director of UN-HABITAT Iraq Programme (2003-5). He also served as Director, Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, Chennai (2001-3), Head, International Science and Technology Affairs Directorate, CSIR (1995-2001), UN Chief Technical Advisor, Natural Disaster Mitigation UNDP, Colombo, Srilanka (1990-5), Director, Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, (1986-1990) and Head, Geotechnical Engineering at CBRI, Roorkee (1975-86). He also served as a Treasurer, Foreign Secretary and Council member of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, as Vice President of the CIB and as a President of Indian Geotechnical Society for two consecutive terms and is one of the 10 Honorary Fellows of the Indian Geotechnical Society.

Published more than 180 papers and 4 monographs, guided more than 12 PhDs and obtained 5 joint patents. He has delivered invited lectures in many countries including the USA, UK, Japan, Canada, France, Russia, Australia, Austria, Germany, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Srilanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Trinidad and Brazil.

He holds a Ph D degree in Geotechnical Engineering from Imperial College London (1972), and is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and Institution of Civil Engineers, London.