Government Citizen KVP
Dr. Bhagaban Prakash
Dr. Bhagaban Prakash, former member of the Planning Commission national working group, is currently a non- official senior advisor to the Election Commission of India, in the area of voter education, democracy promotion and capacity building. His strategy document YUVA-Youth Unite for Voter Awareness, adopted by the Election Commission, has led to massive youth participation in electoral process. As working Chairman of 'Odissa Shanti Sadbhavna Abhijan,(OSSA) he mobilized civil society and worked towards restoring peace in communal strife torn Kondhmal through peace activities like pad yatras, harmony camps, Gandhi katha etc. During demolition of the disputed Babri Ram Janmabhumi structure, as Head of the NSS in the country, he had organised 5000 social harmony camps to cool down the communal temper. He has organised a series of programmes on conflict management and peace education in India and abroad. He is the father of the innovative 'Universities Talk AIDS' (UTA ) programme, considered as one of the best practices in the World in youth owned and youth led HIV awareness campaigns by WHO. Dr. Prakash developed a collaborative action plan "Youth for Watershed Management" with Ministry of Rural development and in1981-82, launched the 'Youth for Ecology Development' and 'Youth Against Famine' campaigns in Odisha. He is the founder- chairperson of SAMBHAV, Orissa's first and India's second civil society initiative for sustainable agriculture. He has not only written for newspapers, but has presented about 9 policy documents on development.
Government Citizen Armed Forces KVP
Col. N M Verma
Colonel NM Verma has served the Indian Army for 28 Years as an Infantry Colonel. He is an expert on issues of Disaster Management and National Security at National and International level. He is currently the Director General and Founder Trustee of Saritsa Foundation. It is a mobile University for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change, with a nationwide campaign to reduce risks from disasters by building knowledge at people's level. It prepares vulnerable people with life saving education via practical training at their door-steps, to help them develop skills to use local knowledge and resources for saving themselves and property in sudden calamities. He advocates "People led and People owned" process of disaster management and organizes workshops, debates, mobile campaigns, demonstrations and mock drills, seminars, family conferences and street plays to raise awareness about the same. He and his team have educated 2,20,000 people, including 9900 persons with disability, in 18 states to develop survival skills at local level. In 2010, he was awarded the Indian Achievers Award for Social Service by Indian Achievers Forum, Delhi, Mother Teresa Sadbhavana Award, and Rajeev Gandhi Award for Excellence in year 2013-14. He is also recipient of an award from National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India in 2008 for his Mobile Campaign for preparing communities from Kanya Kumari to Tawang in Arunacha Pradesh, as well as Ramanuja Mission Trust for his selfless contribution in 2010.
Government Citizen IAS officer KVP
Dr. Sarala Gopalan
Dr. Sarala Gopalan is a retired IAS officer and presently a consultant in numerous social oganisations. As someone who has been working on issues of gender and social development, she has a lot of work to her credit. As special emissary in India of UNICEF, UNIFEM and UNFPA, she has worked on issues relating to "violence against women" and creation of "gender data base". She has organised village communities in Kerala to execute infrastructure projects and facilitated bank loans for women to undertake income generation activities. Moreover, she has organised women in agro-processing and facilitated various studies and action programmes. Ms.Gopalan has also planned rehabilitation of people displaced due to infrastructure projects and Natural Calamities by providing them alternative land and housing facilities, organised industries and overseen implementation of rural development programmes of the Government of India. She has also worked for artisans in the handicraft sector and established the Kerala state Handicrafts Development Corporation and the Kerala State Bamboo Development Corporation. Also, she has introduced transport to fisher-women of Trivandrum which later ushered in the Fisher women special buses. Sarala Gopalan has published four books and written several papers on various issues.
Media Citizen Print Journalist KVP
Ms.Pramilla Chhabra
Pramilla Chhabra is the editor of Delhi Diary from 2008, a fortnightly city guide, reporting on Art & Cultural happenings in Delhi. She strongly supports the issue of gender equality and regularly writes articles about women achievers in her publication. She initiated the Environmental Culture Enrichment Project in 2003 to create awareness about toxicity of polythene and to advocate the use of e-Bags, strongly supporting the idea of going green to protect the environment. Ms. Pramilla ran a society called Akhil Bhartiya Adikala Vikas Manch which worked for the welfare and promotion of tribal artists such as the Gond Tribes of Madhya Pradesh. Also, she is the founder of an association namely, Impressario Asia which has been doing pioneering work in the field of performing Arts since 1988. In 1990, she joined Rotary and worked for the physically disabled children. She is the director of an NGO, Turning Point, an anti drug abuse organisation. In the year 1995, she was awarded the C.L Nepali Smriti Award for social work.
