SENIOR FACULTY MEMBERS OF IDC
PROF. PRAMOD KUMAR, Ph.D
Chairperson
Prof. Pramod Kumar is Director, Institute for Development and Communication (IDC), Chandigarh. He has been appointed as Chairperson of the Haryana Governance reforms Authority (HGRA) from 2017. He was also the Chairman of Punjab Governance Reforms Commission (PGRC-II) from March 2012 to 2017. His work focuses on three interrelated themes of politics of development, violence and governance; politics of conflict management and resolution and practice of democracy through empirical methodologies and analysis of public policy and peoples movements. He is a recipient of the prestigious Homi Bhabha Award for the year 1988 1990.
He has held numerous visiting assignments, including visiting professor the Legal Studies Department, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.
DR. VARINDER SHARMA
Director – Research
Dr. Varinder Sharma holds Ph.D in Economics. His main areas of interest are agriculture economics, rural development and rural labour markets. He has published two books and four articles in indexed journals. His current monograph has published on Living Conditions of Scheduled Castes in Punjab, Dairy Farming among Scheduled Castes in Punjab and Farm Accidents in Punjab. He has presented his work in various conferences and seminars in India and abroad. He has availed the travel grant of Sir Rattan Tata Trust and scholarship of Department of Economics, University of Catholica, Milan (Italy). Presently, he is working on the Cow shelters in Punjab: Problems and Prospects.
PROF. ASHA SETHI
Director – Research
(Education and Evaluation Studies)
Prof. Asha Sethi is Professor of Education. She has 30 years of experience in teaching, guiding and doing research in the field of Education. Her specialization is in the areas of Educational Psychology; Guidance and counselling; Research, Measurement and Evaluation.
At present Prof. Sethi is supervising research projects in the area of Education in general, and Adult Education and Literacy in particular. She is working with IDC since 2004. Besides, she is actively involved in extension activities delivering lectures in Academic Staff Colleges; and in seminars and workshops as a Resource Person in the region.
PROF. H.S. SHERGILL
Director – Research
(Development Studies)
Prof. H.S. Shergill is Professor of Economics working with Institute for Development and Communication (IDC) as Head Development Studies. He has 30 years of Research and Training experience with the Department of Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh. Prof. Shergill is working on Food Security and Surplus Grain Production in Punjab-Haryana region.
PROF. S.L. SHARMA
Director – Research
(Social Development Studies)
Prof. S.L. Sharma is a Professor of Sociology. He has published six books and 125 papers. His fields of academic and research interests cover development studies, including modernisation and globalisation; Social transformation in India; Sociology of education; Indian diaspora; ethnicity and nationalism; and, Sociology of corruption. He is presently working in a project on Urban Development with special reference to Slums, Housing and Urban Poverty.
PROF. B. S. Ghuman
Director – Research
Prof. B.S. Ghuman is M.A., M.Phil and Ph.D in Economics. Professor B.S. Ghuman has 38 years’ teaching experience to his credit. He has published 73 research papers and three books. He specializes in Governance, Regulatory Administration, Food Security, Educational Administration, Public Policy, Poverty and Sustainable Development, Decentralization, Economic Administration, Public Enterprises, and Research Methodology.
He is an Indian academic and academic administrator who served as Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala since August 14, 2017. He resigned from post of VC on November 18, 2020.
PROF. JATINDER S. BEDI
Director – Research
(Ph.D Program)
Prof. Jatinder S. Bedi is Director – Research and Training (Ph. D Program) at IDC. He has undertaken research work in areas such as manufacturing sector performance in small, medium and large scale sector, growth of various agro-based industries and their forward and backward linkages, sector specific work, human development studies and Housing requirements in various cities of India.
He was member of Expert Group set up by Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, 2008 to review and suggest best method of declaration of retail sale price on pre-packed commodities chaired by Dr Govinda Rao. He was also a member of the Support Group and Chairman of Sub-group formulated by the Ministry of Food Processing Industry for the Inter Ministry Task Group on Mid Term Appraisal for the Tenth Plan, Planning Commission, 2004.
PROF. BHUPENDRA YADAV
Associate Professor
Prof. Bhupendra Yadav is a Professor of History at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. He taught History at MD University, Rohtak (Haryana) for two decades and during this period also went on deputation as Fellow to Institute of Development and Communication, Chandigarh to study the efforts for the economic uplift of Punjabi Dalits. Before joining the Asim Premji University, he availed a prestigious Fellowship from 2009-2011 to understand change among Punjabi Dalits at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi.
He recently authored a book introducing the trends, philosophy and methodology of writing history titled Framing History: Context and Trends. He has contributed some assorted essays in books edited by others and written research articles/ book reviews for journals like Economic and Political Weekly, Social Scientist etc. He has also contributed op-ed pieces/ book reviews in leading English dailies like The Hindu, Hindustan Times and The Times of India.
DR. SATYAVIR SINGH MALIK
Associate Professor
Dr. Satyavir Malik is a social communication expert. He is working with IDC since 1995. His main specialization is youth work and training methodologies. He was a member of the national committee to monitor ‘University Talk AIDS’ (UTA) project of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. He has done extensive work on Issues relating to Productive Engagement of Youth in North-Western India.
HARSH CHOPRA
Associate Professor
Harsh Chopra, M.Sc. LL.B. specialising in statistical model building and data analysis. He is involved in data collection, compilation, analysis, and report writing and also conducting workshops, seminars and training. His area of work includes community policing programme, conducting election surveys and evaluation studies of different social welfare schemes. He has Eighteen years experience in academic research and analysis
DR. RAVINDER PAUL
Associate Professor
Dr. Ravinder Paul is MA, Ph.D, working as Sr. Research Associate. Eight-year teaching experience to Graduate and Post-graduate classes at different colleges and university level.
Worked as Coordinator on project Water, Sanitation and Hygiene – A Baseline Survey. Has published ten research paper on different socio-economic and labour issues.
DR. SHUCHI KAPURIA
Associate Professor
Shuchi is with the Gender Studies Unit at IDC, Chandigarh. She holds a PhD in Economics from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She has research and teaching experience of about 14 years. She was also a Visiting Researcher at the University of Guelph under the Commonwealth Exchange Scholarship Programme of the Government of Canada (2011). Her current areas of interest are— Gender studies, migration, employment and labour markets.
DR. CHANDAN AWASTHI
Assistant Professor
Chandan Awasthi holds Ph.D. from Department of Political Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh. His doctoral work emphasizes on construction of geopolitical discourses within the foreign policy circles of the United States of America, especially focusing on Central Asia and the region around it. He has extensive research experience on various dimensions emerging out of the society, especially in Punjab. He also specializes in the post-colonial police studies, and, issues pertaining to defence and national security of India. Presently, he has a book-scoping project on ‘India-Central Asia Relation’s and an essay on ‘Geopolitics of Kashmir’s on the stages of completion.
DR. ANURADHA SEKHRI
Assistant Professor
Dr. Anuradha Sekhri is working as an Assistant Professor in Institute for Development and Communication, Research Centre of Panjab University, Chandigarh. She holds a Ph.D. in Education and Masters in Education and Chemistry. As an Academician, she actively participates in teaching Research for Ph.D research Scholars and completing research projects. She has published more than 20 research papers in International and National Journals, Conference Proceedings and presented Papers more than 25 in National and International conferences. Her areas of interest includes educational technology, inclusive education, science education, teacher education and higher education on which she has been contributing writing book chapters and attending workshops to update latest knowledge on teaching pedagogy.
MS. SANGEETA PURI
Sr. Research Fellow
Ms. Sangeeta Puri has four years teaching and ten years’ research experience. At present she is working on gender issues. Her main specialization is Field networking with CBD’s and stakeholders, primary and secondary data collection and supervision. She has assisted in preparation of grass root capacity building materials and conducting site specific workshops and interactive sessions on issues of gender violence.
MR. SUNIL ARORA
Systems Manager(IT)
Sunil Arora, MCA. specialises in the planning and developing process of all implemental phases of Data Analysis and Management. This includes installing/troubleshooting of software and hardware, design programming, data management, networking, Internet and network security etc. In addition to strategically evaluating organizational needs, he supervises the programming, support, and analyst departments of the organization relating to web and information.
VISITING PROFESSORS
PROFESSOR DIPANKAR GUPTA
Professor Dipankar Gupta joined the faculty of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 1980. In between, for a brief period between 1993-1994, he went as Professor to the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University.
Educated in Delhi School of Economics and JNU from where he obtained his master’s and doctoral degrees respectively, Dipankar Gupta has researched on a number of themes beginning with his first work on the Shiv Sena. In recent times he has conducted a number of field based studies ranging from ethnicity to caste to farmers’ mobilization to modernity and agrarian distress. In 2008 he completed an extensive project on cotton farming in six states of India. Currently he is writing up his field research on post conflict situation in Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
PROF. NEELAM MAN SINGH CHOWDHRY
Prof. Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry is an Emeritus Professor of Indian Theatre at Panjab University, Chandigarh and Professor of Visual Communications at the Institute for Development and Communication, Chandigarh. She was awarded the 2003 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the Theatre Direction category. She is also the recipient of the 2011 Padma Shri Award.
PROF. STEVE TAYLOR
Prof. Taylor is a Professor of Sociology at Northumbria University. He has also taught Sociology at the universities of Nottingham Trent and Durham. He has held senior roles within the British Sociological Association (BSA), the major learned society for British sociologists, including Chair of the BSA Publications Committee and Vice Chair of the BSA Executive Committee.
PROF. ATUL SOOD
Dr. Atul Sood is a Professor of Economics at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has more than 20 years of teaching and research experience at various prestigious institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University, National Council of Applied Economic Research, and University of Ottawa Canada. Dr. Sood had a visiting appointment at the Concordia University, Montreal, Canada in 2008.
PROF. KJELL-ÅKE NORDQUIST
Prof. Kjell-Åke Nordquist is a Professor of International Relations, University College Stockholm, Sweden and Visiting Professor, Peace and Governance Centre, Institute for Development and Communication, Chandigarh. He was head of the Department of Peace and Conflict Research (1999-2005) Uppsala University.
PROF. JASKIRAN MATHUR
Dr. Mathur is Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice and Director of Professional Studies Programme, St. Francis College, New York, USA. She has wide-ranging experience in gender issues, rehabilitation, development and voluntary work. Dr. Mathur served as the President of the New York State Sociological Association for the year 2007. She is an Associate Member of the ïStanding Panel on Social Equity in Governance, formed by the Washington based National Academy of Public Administration. She was elected to serve a three year term as a Professional Member on the Board of the US National Collegiate Honors Council that numbers more than 1200 colleges and universities amongst its members.
DR. S.Y. QURAISHI
Dr. Quraishi is former Chief Election Commissioner of India. He is an IAS officer of the 1971 batch.
R.N. GUPTA
(Governance Studies)
R.N. Gupta has been a member of Indian Administrative Service and had a number of administrative assignments in the states of Punjab and Tripura. He has also been Chief Executive of a major news paper, where he worked for five years. Presently, he is actively involved in research on governance. He has conducted studies on urban governance, delivery of health care, soil and water management, relief and resettlement of affected people in the hydro power projects and is currently engaged in carrying out a study on governance in the rural pheripheries of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. He has published number of books and monographs, to mention few, Urban Governance in Punjab, Towards Transparency in Governance, Governance for Humans.
J.R. KUNDAL
(Governance Studies)
J.R. Kundal has held the post of Financial Commissioner in Punjab. He is post-graduate in English literature and specialised in Public Policy on Social Security and Safety nets with reference to vulnerability sections. He has published a book titled “Tunnel with a Dead End.”
PRADEEP KUMAR CHAUDHERY
(Public Affairs and Economic Policy)
Pradeep Kumar is a Visiting Professor in Public Affairs and Economic Policy Unit. He is a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer, 1977, batch of the Haryana Cadre, who served as Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
He retired as Chief Secretary to Government of Haryna in 2014. He joined as Director (Research) Hony – Public Affairs and Economic Policy Unit at Institute for Development and Communication (IDC), Chandigarh from June 2014.
