About Us

Managing Director

Dr. Girija K Bharat

Dr Girija K Bharat, Managing Director, Mu Gamma Consultants is an international expert with 30 years of experience in water quality and conducts research and capacity building activities in India on Water Resource Management, Water Supply and Sanitation, Chemical Pollution Control, Climate Action and Environmental Management. 

She started her career as a Scientist in Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India and was a Presidential Scholar at George Mason Univ, USA. She has worked with many institutions including USAID, The World Bank and TERI. She has 128 national and international publications, including the Global Sustainable Development Report, 2015 and 16 and has drafted the National Framework of India on Safe Reuse of Treated Wastewater. She is a Technical Expert of ‘Urbanization’ vertical of NITI Aayog, Govt of India, Research Council Member of CSIR-NEERI, Government of India and Water Quality expert of Bureau of Indian standards (BIS).

She is a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Water Quality) and an alumnus of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, Utkal University (Bhubaneswar), BITS (Pilani), George Mason University, USA. She has done Executive Leadership Programme offered by IIM Bangalore-Goldman Sachs 10 K Programme. She is a member of American Chemical Society (ACS); Iota-Sigma-Pi (ΙΣΠ), an Honor Society for Women in Chemistry in the US. She is the recipient of several awards including the Women Transforming India Award 2021 by NITI Aayog and United Nations, Glory of India 2021, Save The Environment (STE) Award 2021, Global Environment Award 2020, Aqua Excellence Award 2020 and 2021, Exceptional Women of Excellence Award of Women Economic Forum in 2019; Inspiring Woman Achiever of the year 2019 -Environment Sector by ASSOCHAM.

Chairman

Dr. Manish Kumar

Dr. Manish Kumar, former CEO and Managing Director of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is a visionary leader with extensive expertise in workforce development. With over three decades of experience, he has held key positions in the Indian Administrative Service, The World Bank, and UNICEF. He was a Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he did his Master’s in Public Administration and did Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Mason University, USA. His tenure at NSDC saw groundbreaking initiatives to enhance vocational training and employability across India. He is known for his dedication to social impact and inclusive growth, driving initiatives that empower individuals from diverse backgrounds. While at The World Bank, Dr. Kumar was the India country co-coordinator for Swachh Bharat Mission, fostering innovation and collaboration. His commitment to excellence and transformative leadership has earned him widespread recognition and accolades in the water, sanitation and skill development landscape.

Director (Finance)

Rajnish Kumar, CFA

Rajnish Kumar, Ex-CEO of Fullerton Securities, a Wealth Advisory and Investments company owned by Temasek in India. Temasek Holdings is an investment company owned by the Government of Singapore and manages a net investment portfolio of S$266 billion mainly in Singapore and Asia. He has worked with HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank in various senior capacities in the past. Alumnus of National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur and Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.

Rajnish has an entrepreneurial outlook and has demonstrated success in setting up and running new businesses. Some of his areas of interest include – technology in business, analytics, economy and markets, corporate governance and risk management.

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Avanti Roy Basu

Avanti Roy Basu is a qualified and experienced professional working on research and policy issues related to water resource management, WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene), emerging contaminants in water, analysis of environmental regulations, plastic and solid waste management, and marine litter management. She has co-authored several publications on environmental management in peer-reviewed journals; as well as designed and implemented over 50 projects for multilateral and bilateral agencies. She has contributed to roadmap or strategy development, stakeholder consultations, impact assessments, capacity building, awareness & education, information dissemination, and monitoring & evaluation of sustainability projects. Throughout her career, Avanti has built and maintained excellent work relationships with diverse stakeholders with varied objectives, and has enjoyed working in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment. Her life and career are driven by a strong passion to improve the quality of life of people, and work towards bringing positive social and environmental change. 

Honorary Advisor

S Vijay Kumar

S. Vijay Kumar joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1976 with a Masters degree in Mathematics. He has served in various positions in the Central Government and in his State Cadre, Himachal Pradesh, where he has held District, Divisional and State level positions dealing with rural development, land management, municipal administration etc. In the Central Govt, he has been Director, National Wastelands Development Mission, Ministry of Environment and Forest, 1986-91; Joint Secretary in charge of the Government’s flagship programme, the Prime Ministers Rural Roads programme (called PMGSY), 2002- 05; Additional Secretary and Secretary, Ministry of Mines 2008-11, and finally, Secretary Ministry of Rural Development till his retirement in Sept 2013.

Mr Vijay Kumar joined TERI in November 2013 as Distinguished Fellow and works on issues related to land, water and minerals. He has been appointed for a 3 year term commencingJune 2015 as a Member of the United Nations’ International Resource Panel (IRP) which considers issues relating to governance of resources and poverty and prepares science–based policy related reports on natural resource management, resource use efficiency and environmental impacts of resource use.

Advisor and Senior Consultant

Dr Joseph Ravikumar

Ravi, an environmental engineer, has worked for over 30 years in urban water supply and sanitation, industrial effluent treatment, municipal solid and hazardous waste management. He has worked on policy, institution, technology, financing and monitoring. He has worked on projects in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives. Notable among his work are the National Urban Sanitation Policy, City sanitation ratings, city sanitation plans and septage management policy. His interests are wastewater reuse, non-network sanitation and financial sustainability of urban sanitation systems. Ravi during his spare time pursues reading, cooking and gardening.

Advisor

Anand Rudra

Results-driven International Development Professional with 30+ years of experience in managing USG-funded programs in the development sectors. Experienced programmatic, grants and operational manager, coordinator, supporting multiple contracts, complex USG Federal – Host Country and Non-Government Organization partnerships. Strategic team member experienced in technical assistance delivery, administration of grants, capacity building services, private sector engagement, multi-cultural teams, procurement/scoping proposals, monitoring & evaluation & financial management/ operations. Currently as Acceleration Director with the Kaizen US AID’s New Partnerships Incubator Initiative project, a global service hub that helps USAID’s localization agenda and expand partnerships. Leading a Pod project management support unit for needs assessment/capacity-building assistance to USAID Mission and Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) partner organizations.

Advisor

Dr Suseel Samuel

Dr Suseel Samuel: A social development professional with Ph.D. degree in Social Work. He possesses knowledge and skills that are backed with extensive experience in policy support, program planning, use of participatory tools, project management, budgeting, programmatic and financial monitoring, training and capacity building of individuals and organizations, technical support to national programs and civil society organizations, networking and advocacy with governmental and non – governmental organizations and social research. 32 years of experience in social development in various sectors, mainly water and sanitation, community development, child development, HIV/AIDS, social research and social work education.

Worked in national and international organizations, projects in partnership with international funding agencies and also with government departments of water supply, sanitation, health and local government institutions in India. Attended several national and international training programs, workshops and conferences on various social development themes.

Advisor

Dr M K N Yenkie

Dr M K N Yenkie is a Professor in Chemistry, Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT), R.T.M. Nagpur University. He has been teaching Under Graduate and Post Graduate students for over 37 years. He has many awards to his credit: Maharashtra State Best Teacher Award (2011-12), Tata Chemicals and Association of Chemistry Teachers appreciation award for promoting Chemistry (2010-11), German Academic Exchange Fellowship (1988-91), Distinguished Alumni Award of Post Graduate Department of Chemistry, R.T.M. Nagpur University.

Dr Yenkie has also held the position of Pro Vice Chancellor, R.T.M. Nagpur University, Registrar – R.T.M. Nagpur University, Director-in-Charge, Laxminarayan Institute of Technology, Director – Technology Park, R.T.M.N.U., Nagpur, Dean, Research & Development, L.I.T. He has a Ph.D Degree in Chemistry from Nagpur University and Post doctoral research fellowship from Institute fuer Thermische Verfahrenstechnik, Technical University of Clausthal, F.R. Germany, where he was a Visiting Scientist for 5 years. He has published more than 55 research papers in National & International Journals of repute.

Senior Advisor

Shivanjali Sharma

Shivanjali has been associated with MGC since the organization’s inception in 2014. She worked as Associate Director at MGC till 2017 and continued her association as Senior Advisor providing strategic direction to the organization and bringing her expertise in policy development, program management and stakeholder relationship management to the table. Shivanjali has about 15 years of management experience and her work includes stints with the European Union Delegation to India and Bhutan, Canadian High Commission, British High Commission, The Energy Resources Institute and Ernst & Young. She has directed high value complex multi-sectoral projects in development/ SDG-related areas, international trade policy and G2G technical cooperation. Shivanjali has an MBA from Purdue University and is currently pursuing Advance Learning Certificate program from Cambridge University in Information for Decision Making in Climate Change. 

Advisor

Venky Raghavendra

Venkatesh “Venky” Raghavendra is a social entrepreneur with over three & half decades of philanthropy and international development experience. He has successfully built global partnerships and mobilized significant resources for a number of international and national organizations.  

Venky was formerly the Chief Philanthropy Officer at the New York-based American India Foundation. He has been an advisor and consultant in the areas of philanthropy, fundraising, and social entrepreneurship, and has worked with organizations like the Open Society Foundations, New York, UK-based Common Purpose, and a host of other global entities. Prior to joining the American India Foundation, Venky was Managing Director of Global Partnerships at Ashoka: Innovators for the Public and promoted social entrepreneurship around the world by collaborating with business entrepreneurs and foundations.

Venky is a resource person and trainer for the Government of India’s Ministry of Finance, and a former Advisor to the country’s National Skill Development Corporation, which is administered under the Ministry of Skill Development. He is a trustee of Ashoka India, sits on the board of several not-for-profits, and is an advisor to several others. He writes frequently on social issues for a variety of media, and teaches social entrepreneurship and innovation to graduate-level students in the United States and in India.

Venky has a Masters in Social Justice from the School for International Training, Vermont and an International DBA from ISEG’s Lisbon School of Economics & Management in Portugal.

Advisor

Mr. Shyam Dave

Former WASH, Climate Change and Environment Sustainability (CCES) Specialist, UNICEF, India

A seasoned WASH sector professional with over 42 years of rich experience in development sector focusing on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Climate Change, Water Resources Management and Disaster Risk Management. He worked with United Nations and several state governments and contributed significantly in developing models and knowledge products on integrated WASH and climate resilience.

Mr Dave studied engineering and management studies and later did his specialized professional courses on WASH in School from Emory University, US and Dynamic Leadership course from Harvard Business Publishing, US.

His professional strength includes developing strategic partnerships, policy advocacy, strategic planning, knowledge management, coordination among key stakeholders, networking with partners, professional institutions and donors for leveraging resources from government programs and bilateral agencies.

Mr. Dave has also co-authored couple of papers, that were published in international journals and also presented papers in various international thematic conferences on sustainable WASH and Climate Change.

Legal Advisor

G Easwariamma

Mrs. G Easwariamma brings a wealth of experience from management and legal domains. She brings on board 33 years of experience through her work for the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Rourkela Steel Plant.

She has also been an Advocate dealing with civil matters under the Kerala Bar Council since 1995.

Senior Consultant

Dr Asha Ashok Juwarkar

Dr. (Mrs.) Asha Ashok Juwarkar has about 33 years of experience in the field of Phytoremediation/bioremediation of degraded lands, Eco-friendly treatment for domestic and industrial wastewater management, soil pollution mitigation, and CO2 sequestration and mitigation. She played a key role in formulation of National Implementation Plan for POPs sponsored by UNIDO, and has expertise in sound management of PCB’s, PBDE’s and Dioxins & Furans. She was Ex Chief Scientist and Head, FNASc, Eco-System Division, and also Ex-Coordinator for Stockholm Convention Regional Centre on POPs for Asia Region at CSIR-NEERI. She was a Fellow at The National Academy of Sciences, India, Allahabad in 2009.

She has a Post-doctoral fellowship from University of Guelph, Canada, for Molecular Biology under DBT Associateship and Ph.D. (Microbiology) from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). She has authored 92 research and 30 technical papers in reputed National and international journals. Under Stockholm Convention she was responsible for Projects, Workshops and Awareness programmes such as Capacity Building for Environmentally Sound Management of PCB oil and PCBs Containing Equipments at Ship Breaking Yard, Alang, Gujarat, India, Pilot testing of guidance for the review and updating of National Implementation Plan in India, Electronic interactive toolkit for environmentally sound management of industrial chemicals covered under Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, Capacity building for promoting synergistic implementation of Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Sri Lanka, Awareness programmes on POPs were conducted at different villages in India, Regional Stakeholder’s Meeting on Dioxins/Furans was conducted at CSIR-NEERI as a part of Centers activity.

She is the recipient of many prestigious national and international awards such as, Pitambar Pant National Environment Fellowship Award (MoEF, 2003), Priyadarshani Vrikshamitra Puruskar (CIL, 2000), Dubai International Award (2007) for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment (2007 & 2002), UN – HABITAT Award (MoUD, 2002), CSIR Technology Award (2002), and Women Bhaskar Award by Dainik Bhaskar Group (2012).

Advisor

Dr Kirti M Yenkie

Dr. Kirti M. Yenkie is currently Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering in Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering at Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey, USA. Her research focuses on utilizing Process Systems Engineering (PSE) principles in the domains of environmental sustainability and healthcare. Dr. Yenkie’s research is multidisciplinary in nature, and draws from methods in mathematical modeling, simulation, programming, data analytics, optimization, control, uncertainty analysis and stochastic processes.

She is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and has earned her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), USA. In addition, she has also held Postdoctoral Research Associate positions at University of Wisconsin (UW) – Madison, and at University of Delaware (UD) – Newark.

Dr. Yenkie brings to MGC her leadership and expertise in interdisciplinary research in order to help solve problems pertaining to Sustainable Development at global and local levels.

Advisor

Prof A M Khan

Prof A M Khan, Prof and Head, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi (Retd.) is an expert in behavioural change communication and IEC. He has about 33 years’ experience in various capacities including Director, Regional Director, Professor and Head of Social Sciences and others. He has been a faculty in behaviour change communication, IEC, IPC in Sanitation and is the recipient of Rastriya Gauraw Award.

Advisor

Prof Purnendu Kanti Das

Prof Purnendu Kanti Das was the Head of the Department of Chemistry, M B B College, Agartala, Tripura. He was felicitated by the Government of Tripura for rendering distinguished service as a professor. He was also the General Secretary and President of Tripura Chemical Society, Tripura. He instituted the ‘Pyarimohan – Labanyaprava Memorial Research Fellowship’ in Tripura University for doing research work in Chemistry. He has published seven books and is presently working on publishing the life and works of Sir C. V. Raman and Madame Curie.

SENIOR CONSULTANT

Dr. Tuhin Banerji

Dr. Tuhin Banerji completed his PhD in Environmental Engineering from IIT Bombay. He specialises in Water and Wastewater treatment systems and Sustainability and has been working in this sector for more than 15 years. He worked as a Sr Scientist (QHF) and then as Consultant in CSIR-NEERI for more than 7 years and carried out various projects in decentralised wastewater treatment systems, urban renewal, environmental audits and river restoration. He served as a member of the Consent Appraisal Committee at MPCB for 5 years and as a member of No Increase in Pollution Load Committee at MPCB for 3 years. Prior to joining Mu Gamma, he held the position of the Head of Water R&D division at Thermax Pune. There he was working on the water-energy nexus, green hydrogen and developing new low-resource drinking water purification techniques. He holds 3 patents and 15 publications in international journals. He also serves as a Technical Committee member on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)-Government of India panel for finalisation of new standards.

Senior Research Scientist

Nathaniel Bhakupar Dkhar

Nathaniel has done his post-graduation on Water Resources Management from TERI University, New Delhi and he is a Bio-technology graduate from St. Anthony’s College, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong.

Prior to joining Mu Gamma Consultants Pvt. Ltd. he had worked with TERI for almost 13 years where he was working on various issues related to water and climate change. He is a UGC NET qualified (Environmental Science) professional and has taught courses at TERI University. He has been involved in a number of projects related to water and wastewater management, integrated water resources management (IWRM), water-energy -climate nexus, river basin management, cryosphere research, WASH, aquaculture, systems thinking, capacity building, water use efficiency, water audit and analyzing the impacts of climate change on water resources. He is an experienced glaciologist and has conducted research related to climate change impact on Himalayan cryosphere.

Senior Research Scientist

Dr. Sonia Grover

Dr. Sonia Grover brings over 15 years of extensive experience in water resources management, spanning across diverse domains such as policy research, technical advisory, capacity building, and program management. She has worked with various clients including government departments, public utilities, and development organizations and has wide experience of engaging with diverse set of stakeholders including local community. 

Throughout her career, Dr. Sonia has spearheaded and contributed to over 50 projects covering various facets of water resources management, including the intricate dynamics of the water-energy nexus, WASH initiatives, and the impact of climate change on water systems. Her contributions extend beyond project work, as she has co-authored numerous publications in esteemed peer-reviewed journals, as well as policy briefs and white papers, shaping the discourse on water management practices. 

She is honored as one of the top five recipients of the Mission LiFE Global Call for Ideas and Papers Award, instituted by the NITI Aayog. She has also received Aqua Foundation’s Excellence Award 2024 (Water and Environment) under the category of Professional Excellence (Individual). Her commitment to continuous learning and collaboration is evident through her participation in esteemed international programs such as the Australian Awards regional short course on ‘Integrated Water Resources Management,’ organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia, and the Knowledge Management and Learning Week organized by APWF & ADB in the Philippines, among others. 

Complementing her practical expertise is Sonia’s role as an educator, where she has imparted knowledge on water-related subjects at TERI SAS. Holding a Ph.D. in Hydrology and Climate Change, she combines academic rigor with hands-on experience to drive meaningful advancements in water resource management. 

Research Scientist

Dr Kriti Akansha

Kriti is a sustainability professional with particular interest in water resources management and mitigation of water pollution. A doctorate from BIT, Mesra, Ranchi, her PhD is on process development for decolorization and degradation of azo dyes for treating effluents from the textile industry. She has several research papers and book chapters on wastewater treatment and removal of azo dyes from wastewater to her credit. She has done her M.Sc. in Biotechnology from VIT, Vellore and B.Sc. in Biotechnology from PESIT, Bangalore. Kriti is passionate about sustainable lifestyle, sustainable fashion and art.

Research Scientist

Manisha Jain

Manisha is a PhD scholar in Environmental Biotechnology, a postgraduate in Biological Science, an amateur artist, a passionate traveler with interest in adventure activities and a keen learner of all things new. Her interest lies in finding sustainable solutions to environmental problems in a manner that the developed methodological approach and understanding can be further extrapolated to other subject and geographical areas. Manisha has been involved in various research projects including the Innovation Project of Delhi University and was awarded scholarship for the same. Her experience in research ranges from enzymatic analysis to study of microorganisms in water bodies. She has a published research paper and has many oral and poster presentations to her credit. She has contributed to a Discussion Paper on aligning India’s sanitation policies with the Sustainable Development Goals. She is currently working towards building knowledge database for plastic waste management, bioplastics and microplastic analysis.

Research Associate

Anagha Krishnan

Anagha is a post-graduate in Environmental Engineering from APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, Kerala and a Civil Engineering graduate from Calicut University, Kerala.

Prior to joining Mu Gamma Consultants Pvt. Ltd she was employed by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi. She has experience in urban water supply, water reuse, climate change and sustainable development. At TERI, she was engaged with the EU-India project unlocking wastewater treatment, water reuse and recovery opportunities for urban and peri-urban areas in India. In addition to her work on projects related to river pollution management and water conservation, Anagha also supports the development of a knowledge database for the management of plastic pollution. As a content writer, she has produced articles and reports that demonstrate her expertise.

Research Associate

Neha Lakhwan

Neha has completed her Master of Technology from IIT Roorkee in Hydraulics Engineering and her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from G.B. Pant Engineering College, Pauri. She is proficient in using software like HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, Google Earth Engine, and QGIS. She has previously worked on understanding the impact of changes in rainfall and temperature on crop yield using remote sensing approaches and the landslide susceptibility of the district of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand. She has also worked at CSTEP, mapping floods in Bengaluru city during extreme rainfall events and identifying the  underlying factors. Apart from using remote sensing for hydrological analysis, Neha has contributed articles, chapters, and policy brief on the impact of climate change on water resources and the circular economy of water.

In her view, water is a fundamental necessity of life. Therefore, it is crucial to empower policies and people with the knowledge to manage and conserve this vital resource effectively. 

Senior Consultant (Energy)

Dr Manjushree Banerjee

Dr. Manjushree Banerjee is an experienced researcher, practitioner, and author with expertise in sustainable energy, energy policies, and energy access. She worked with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI, New Delhi) for about ten years.   During her tenure at TERI, she led National and International projects on Energy Access, Renewable Energy, and Sustainable Development. She is associated with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF, New Delhi) as a Freelance Author. The association helps in regularly publishing Issue Briefs and Articles related to Energy Access, Energy Transitions, and Sustainable Development Goals. Her Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT, New Delhi) probed into the role of state policies and private sector participation in grid-interactive renewable power.

Dr. Manjushree has traveled extensively to remote and rural locations in India for work. She has publications in peer-reviewed journals of repute such as Energy Policy and Springer as well as has authored articles, book chapters, and opinion pieces. She also conducts assessments as a third-party evaluator for energy-related projects implemented as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.