SKOCH Summit
Agenda
1030 - 1210
Inaugural Session
The session highlighted India’s governance progress and the role of technology-driven initiatives in strengthening public service delivery and economic growth. Speakers emphasized achievements such as rapid digital transformation, improved citizen services, and strong economic recovery post-pandemic. Dr. D. Gyan Sundar discussed the National Hydrology Project, which is building a nationwide real-time water data system. network to improve flood forecasting and groundwater management. Ashim Kumar Mahapatra outlined Odisha’s efforts to expand irrigation, improve water efficiency, and address climate challenges through modern infrastructure and farmer training. Varun Kumar Mishra presented how micro-ATMs and PACS are enabling digital banking access for rural communities in Uttar Pradesh. The discussion underscored the importance of data, technology, and institutional coordination in strengthening governance. Overall, the session showcased innovative approaches in water management, agriculture, and rural financial inclusion.
Welcome: Dr Gursharan Dhanjal, Vice Chairman, SKOCH Group
Opening Remarks: Dr Gursharan Dhanjal, Managing Director & Editor, SKOCH Group
Mr Subodh Yadav, Joint Secretary (A, IC & GW), Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti
Mr Ashim Kumar Mahapatra, Special Secretary & Engineer-in-Chief, Planning & Design
Mr Varun Kumar Mishra, Managing Director, Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Bank Ltd
Dr Gursharan Dhanjal
Vice Chairman, SKOCH Group
Dr Gursharan Dhanjal, MA, M.Phil, PhD from Delhi University, an expert in development economics. He is Vice Chairman, SKOCH Group. He is also Editor of INCLUSION—a quarterly publication that focuses on inclusive growth related areas. He has led various research projects, impact assessments and field studies in MSMEs, women empowerment, entitlements, rights, sanitation, social inclusion, health, financial inclusion, e-governance and ICT for development that included traversing across the country, collecting citizen voices for over two decades now. A prolific writer, Dr Dhanjal has contributed over 200 columns in leading national dailies including The Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Financial Express and The Pioneer. He has published research papers in several journals of repute in addition to authoring following widely acclaimed books: Tarapur: The Politics of Nuclear Age; and, Infrastructure and Governance. He was member of the Working Group on ICT in Higher Education constituted by Planning Commission for the 12th Five Year Plan.
Mr Subodh Yadav
Joint Secretary (A, IC & GW), Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti
Mr Ashim Kumar Mahapatra
Special Secretary & Engineer-in-Chief, Planning & Design
Mr Varun Kumar Mishra
Managing Director, Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Bank Ltd
1210 - 1430
State of Districts
The session on the State of Districts highlighted the critical role of district administrations in delivering governance, welfare, health, and education services. Mr. Bhushan Mohan emphasized districts as the primary interface between citizens and government through initiatives like e-District. Panelists shared innovations including land utilization for livelihoods in Bankura, child-focused COVID preparedness in Ahmedabad, and fortified rice distribution in Vijayanagaram to address anemia. Una district demonstrated technology-driven governance and improved vaccination coverage. Cachar district presented Project Poshan, a community-led effort to reduce child malnutrition. Overall, the session showcased how districts are using innovation, technology, and community participation to address local development challenges.
Moderator: Mr Bhushan Mohan, Senior Fellow, SKOCH Development Foundation & Former Principal Consultant, NeGD
Mr Sandip Janardan Sagale, Collector, District Administration Ahmedabad
Mr A Surya Kumari, District Collector and Magistrate, District Administration Vizianagaram
Mr Raghav Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, District Administration Una
Ms Keerthi Jalli, Deputy Commissioner, District Adminitration Cachar
Ms R Radhika Aiyar, District Magistrate & Collector, District Administration Bankura
Mr Jitendra Patil, Deputy Collector, District Administration Ahmednagar
Mr Bhushan Mohan
Senior Fellow, SKOCH Development Foundation & Former Principal Consultant, NeGD
Mr Sandip Janardan Sagale
Collector, District Administration Ahmedabad
Ms A Surya Kumari
District Collector and Magistrate, District Administration Vizianagaram
Mr Raghav Sharma
Deputy Commissioner, District Administration Una
Ms Keerthi Jalli
Deputy Commissioner, District Adminitration Cachar
Ms K Radhika Aiyar
District Magistrate & Collector, District Administration Bankura
Mr Jitendra Patil
Deputy Collector, District Administration Ahmednagar
1430 - 1530
State of States - Focus on Energy & Transport
Despite the encouraging growth trajectory in the energy space in the last few years, the Indian power sector has still not been able to induce and sustain the required capacity addition matching the ever-growing power demand of the country. India’s power deficit situation has improved in the last few years. Yet, there are concerns relating to fuel security; financial health of discoms; under-procurement of power by states; and, financing and project appraisal, amongst others. Covid pandemic has only aggravated the challenges. In the last few years, several measures have been undertaken as proposed by the Electricity Amendment Bill 2014 and more recently the UDAY scheme to address financial issues faced by discoms.
India is fast moving to adopt EV technology. Each of the transport corporation and Smart City is either running of planning pilots on EVs. The fact remains that this is expensive and we are yet to develop the infrastructure for charging and maintenance etc. Financial stability of the transport undertakings is already a big question.
The panel discusses the following:
- How to balance regulatory intervention/hurdles, increase financing facilities?
- How to increase financing options and increase operational efficiencies.
- How can emerging technologies help, in case energy sector – renewables and in case of transport – EV?
- How to improve the health of the sector?
Moderator: Dr Gursharan Dhanja, Managing Director & Editor, SKOCH Group
Mr Mohammad Aijaz, Managing Director, Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL)
Mr Rahul Das, Managing Director, Assam State Transport Corporation
Ms Pratibha Pal, Commissioner IMC & Managing Director, Atal Indore City Transport Services Limited
Mr Himanshu Chawla, Joint Director (Tariff Engineering), Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission
Dr Gursharan Dhanjal
Vice Chairman, SKOCH Group
Dr Gursharan Dhanjal, MA, M.Phil, PhD from Delhi University, an expert in development economics. He is Vice Chairman, SKOCH Group. He is also Editor of INCLUSION—a quarterly publication that focuses on inclusive growth related areas. He has led various research projects, impact assessments and field studies in MSMEs, women empowerment, entitlements, rights, sanitation, social inclusion, health, financial inclusion, e-governance and ICT for development that included traversing across the country, collecting citizen voices for over two decades now. A prolific writer, Dr Dhanjal has contributed over 200 columns in leading national dailies including The Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Financial Express and The Pioneer. He has published research papers in several journals of repute in addition to authoring following widely acclaimed books: Tarapur: The Politics of Nuclear Age; and, Infrastructure and Governance. He was member of the Working Group on ICT in Higher Education constituted by Planning Commission for the 12th Five Year Plan.
Mr Rahul Das
Managing Director, Assam State Transport Corporation
Mr Mohammad Aijaz
Managing Director, Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL)
Ms Pratibha Pal
Commissioner IMC & Managing Director, Atal Indore City Transport Services Limited
Mr Himanshu Chawla
Joint Director (Tariff Engineering), Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission
1530 - 1630
State of States - Focus on Development
Development related issues are barrier to economic growth and welfare and prosperity of citizens. It provides us with challenges to overcome and opportunities to capitalise on. Working together makes a real difference to the lives of people, particularly at the grassroots. More than access to credit, creating a capacity to absorb the credit becomes important. This is also coupled with appropriate technology, education, health, housing, gender and employment. Not only the government, the private sector and civil society also has a role to play. The road to success therefore lies in keeping people out of poverty once out it, creation of inclusive societies, crisis prevention and gender empowerment across sectors. The panel discusses the following:
- How to improve the social and economic status of communities?
- What are the challenges?
- How to leverage PPP?
- How can technology help reach out to people as well as assimilating citizen in the government-citizen dialogue?
Moderator: Prof V N Alok, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA)
Ms Ranjana Chopra, Principal Secretary, ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare, Government of Odisha
Mr A Md Imtiaz, Chief Executive Officer, Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, Government of Andhra Pradesh
Mr Amit Sharma, Administrative Secretary, Information Technology & CEO, JaKeGA
Mr Pankaj Kamliya, Chief Operations Officer, Gujarat CSR Authority
Mr Ujjwal Biswas, Professor, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences
Prof V N Alok
Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA)
Dr. V.N. Alok is a Professor at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), a premier institution dedicated to public administration and governance studies in India. With a strong academic and research background, Dr. Alok specializes in areas such as public policy, governance reforms, and administration. His work focuses on improving public sector management and enhancing the efficiency of government programs. As a faculty member at IIPA, Dr. Alok has contributed significantly to shaping the understanding of public administration in India, mentoring future leaders in governance and policy implementation. His research and teachings continue to influence public administration practices across the country.
Ms Ranjana Chopra
Principal Secretary, ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare, Government of Odisha
Mr A Md Imtiaz
Chief Executive Officer, Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, Government of Andhra Pradesh
Mr Amit Sharma
Administrative Secretary, Information Technology & CEO, JaKeGA
Mr Pankaj Kamliya
Chief Operations Officer, Gujarat CSR Authority