The CSDD advisory board constitutes of following finest and practical brains in the social, development and public sector.

Shri Rajesh Verma

Mr. Verma served in the Government of Sikkim for 36 years and retired as the Secretary in the Department of Information Technology.  He established the police telecommunication network in Sikkim appropriately using solar and wind energy. Subsequently he spearheaded the implementation of various Mission Mode Projects under the National E-Governance Plan like setting up of the State Data Centre and brought about extensive automation in the State Government. He formulated the IT Mission, Right of Way (ROW) and E Waste Policies. Groundbreaking proof of Concepts like the award winning Cyber village and setting up of a CAD centre at the Directorate of Handicrafts were implemented by him. He was intensively involved in ecology related work in Sikkim and in implementing the AUSAID funded Litter and Spit Free Zone on M.G. Marg (Gangtok’s Main Market). He institutionalized waste garbage management from about 500 households in the locality in which he was staying.
He was conferred the Meritorious Service Award by the Chief Minister Sikkim on Independence Day in 2006 and Award of Excellence in Tourism by the Minister Tourism on World Tourism Day 2016. He is presently the Working President of National Association for the Blind, Sikkim Branch and member organisations dealing in disabilities. His current area of interest is to use ICT tools for the general benefit of the citizens. His other focus area is management of Electronic-Waste.

Prof. Dinabandhu Sahoo

Prof Sahoo is currently the Vice Chancellor of Fakir Mohan University, Odisha. He has been Director of the Cluster Innovation Centre and Professor of Botany, University of Delhi. He served as Director of Institute of Bioresource & Sustainable Development (IBSD) at Imphal, Manipur, an institute of national importance under the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India. He is also serving as Scientific Advisor to Government of Meghalaya. He has served a Jury Chair of the 7th eNorth East Award Summit 2020 on innovations in sustainable development and digital practices in North East India, organized by North East Development Foundation.

Dr. Shiladitya Chatterjee

Dr. Shiladitya Chatterjee is currently Adviser, Centre for Sustainable Development Goals, Government of Assam. He is an international development economist with expertise on India and Asia and the Pacific. Educated at Presidency College, Calcutta (BA); Delhi School of Economics (MA); and Boston University (Ph.D), he has worked in academics; administration (in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS)); and international development (at the Asian Development Bank). He taught economics at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University; Boston University; and University of Massachusetts. In India, he has worked on grassroots level development in Assam; at the Central Government in the Finance Ministry (Plan Finance), and at the Prime Minister’s Office he helped PM coordinate the economic reforms of 1991-94. As an ADB economist he worked on structural reforms, fiscal decentralization, capital markets development, transport and basic infrastructure. Since 2004, as Head of ADB’s Poverty Unit, he focused increasingly on poverty reduction; forged the ADB-UNDP-ESCAP regional partnership on the MDGs; and supported formulation of the new SDGs. He have contributed to research with a large number of publications and reports. Currently he is advising UN-ESCAP on regional cooperation for the SDGs; and the Government of Assam on implementing the SDGs.

Dr Sriparna B Baruah

Dr Sriparna B Baruah has 33 years of work experience in Management Education and in Small and Medium Enterprise Development with thrust on Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Promotion. She also has extensive experience in action research and projects relating to development of livelihood clusters specifically in the North Eastern Region of India. Since the last three years, she has been actively involved in facilitating creation of a start-up eco-system in Assam and has been regularly mentoring and handholding existing and potential start-ups in opportunity guidance and scaling up. Dr. Baruah has represented NE India in various international forums and lead Business Delegations globally.