National Portal Of India 
Dr. R. Balasubramaniam
Member, NITI Aayog
Professional Expertise
Dr. R. Balasubramaniam, popularly known as Dr. Balu, is a full-time Member of NITI Aayog. A widely respected development practitioner, leadership trainer and author, he brings to this role a rare blend of grassroots and macro perspectives, drawn from nearly four decades of multifaceted experience in development and public policy.
He is the founder of the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement and the Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement, both of which have been instrumental in advancing community-driven development and policy advocacy in India. A former Rhodes Professor at Cornell University, USA, he has coached and mentored senior leaders across the non-profi t, corporate, government, and education sectors globally, and has regularly conducted leadership workshops for institutions in India and abroad.
His academic journey began with a medical degree (MBBS) from Mysore Medical College, followed by an MPhil in Hospital Administration and Health Systems Management from BITS, Pilani. He later pursued a Master's in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, where he was a Mason Fellow. He holds a PhD in Leadership and Management. He has also received an honorary doctorate from the Government of Karnataka's Nrupatunga University for his social work and tribal development.
Dr. Balu served as Member (HR) at the Capacity Building Commission, Government of India, from its inception until April 2026, contributing to strengthening the capabilities of the country's civil service. He also serves as Chairperson of the Social Stock Exchange Advisory Committee.
He has authored nine books in Kannada and English. His recent work, Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi, examines leadership through the lens of contemporary Indian governance. Three of his earlier books — I, the Citizen, Voices from the Grassroots, and Leadership Lessons for Daily Living, have received global acclaim for their insights into citizenship, grassroots realities, and values-based leadership.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
EDUCATION
CIVIL SOCIETY AND SOCIAL SECTOR
Founder, Former Chairman and President | Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM) Mysuru, India | 1984 — 2023
- Founded SVYM as a nineteen-year-old medical student in 1984 and built it into one of India's leading development organisations, driving community self-reliance through locally innovative, cost-effective solutions that create human and social capital.
- Spent close to three decades living and working amidst indigenous tribal communities in the Western Ghats, earning the trust of the Jenu Kuruba, Betta Kuruba, and other marginalised communities of Mysuru and surrounding districts through sustained fi eld presence, not institutional engagement alone.
- In 2008, led the Jaagruthi Yathre, a 420-kilometre walk through 120 villages to mobilise community awareness on rights, entitlements, and citizen participation; a landmark grassroots mobilisation exercise that drew national attention.
- As Special Investigator at the Karnataka Lok Ayukta, led a landmark investigation into the Public Distribution System that uncovered large-scale annual leakage, establishing an evidence base for systemic reform and reinforcing the link between field observation and policy accountability.
- Established and operated comprehensive programmes in preventive, promotive and curative healthcare; water and sanitation; behavioural change communication; reproductive and child health; and HIV/AIDS for marginalised rural and indigenous tribal communities.
- Set up 100 bed hospital, Livelihood center, women led Social Enterprises, a tribal residential school, a rural school, a Sainik School and a Pre university College for rural and marginalized children from across the state of Karnataka.
- Launched schools and community-based education programmes reaching more than 50,000 rural children across Karnataka.
- Led and managed a team of more than 1000 professionals overseeing approximately 50 projects statewide.
- Conceived and implemented an Integrated Development Model grounded in building human and social capital to ensure sustainable economic progress.
- Initiated a community-led governance movement using the Right to Information (RTI) Act, empowering tribal and rural communities to hold government accountable.
- Founded two Community-Based Organisations for indigenous peoples and co-founded a Leadership Training Institute and an Institute of Indian Studies in Mysuru (www.vild.edu.in and www.viis.in).
- Successfully petitioned the National Human Rights Commission to secure and protect the rights of indigenous tribal communities
- Conceived a project to build human, social and economic capital for urban poor communities in Mysuru's slums.
Founder and Former Chairman | Grassroots Research And Advocacy Movement (GRAAM) Mysuru, India 2011 — 2022
- Established GRAAM in 2011 as a public policy research institute and think-and-act tank with a foundational conviction that community voice must drive policy, not merely inform it. Served as Executive Director (January 2011 — March 2014) and Chairman (2011 — March 2022).
- Built GRAAM into one of India's most respected grassroots policy research organisations, recognised by the Director General of NITI Aayog's Development Monitoring and Evaluation Offi ce (DMEO) as 'one of the best' civil society organisations in monitoring and evaluation, and formalised through a Statement of Intent for strategic and technical collaboration with DMEO, NITI Aayog in November 2021.
- Played a key role in the establishment of the Karnataka Evaluation Authority — a landmark institutional reform creating a permanent state-level mechanism for programme evaluation, drawing directly on GRAAM's research and advocacy.
- Under GRAAM's founding mandate, produced the Roadmap of Social Enterprise Ecosystem as a Precursor for a Viable Social Stock Exchange in India, submitted to NABARD, — a foundational policy document that directly informed the architecture of India's Social Stock Exchange framework.
- Contributed to the Karnataka State Human Development Report and led the preparation of District Human Development Reports for Kodagu and Kolar districts, providing granular, community-rooted data to guide decentralised planning.
- Established the Arogya Shreni community health monitoring platform in Karnataka and Jan Arogya Shreni in Jharkhand, pioneering ICT-enabled citizen participation in public health delivery — a model presented at NITI Aayog's National Conference on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.
- Launched Sugamya Shiksha, an action research programme on inclusive education reform, expanding from 11 to 22 schools across four districts of Karnataka and reaching over 5,000 children, with findings feeding directly into state education policy.
- Successfully advocated for a Government of Karnataka circular ensuring the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in MGNREGA — a concrete legislative outcome achieved through evidence-based policy advocacy.
- Initiated the annual 'Ground Realities' advocacy event, bringing community evidence directly into dialogue with policymakers, media, and civil society, and launched the Children's Parliament programme in collaboration with the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority and district administration.
- Established GRAAM as a recognised global partner, with MoUs with McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy, Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, and listed partnership with the Fourth Sector Group for a for-benefi t economy; empanelled by the World Bank's Global Platform for Social Accountability (GPSA); and winner of the 2013 South Asia eNGO Challenge Award by Digital Empowerment.
- Conducted evaluations and research in partnership with WHO, UNICEF, The/Nudge Institute, CFTRI, and other national and international bodies across Karnataka, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and beyond, with GRAAM's footprint now extending nationally.
Member, Governing Council and Managing Committee | Rambhau Mahalgi Prabodhini Mumbai, India | March 2021 — February 2025
Trustee | Lead India New Delhi, India | March 2018 — February 2020
Trustee | Canara Financial Advisory Trust Bangalore, India | July 2014 — October 2019
Board Member and Trustee | Thirumalai Charitable Trust 2008 — 2014
GOVERNMENT SECTOR
Member-HR | Capacity Building Commission (Mission Karmayogi), Government of India New Delhi, India | June 2021 — May 2026
- Full-time Member of the Capacity Building Commission (CBC), the custodian of Mission Karmayogi — the Government of India's landmark initiative to transform the Indian Civil Services. (Detailed activity list available on request.)
Chairperson | Social Stock Exchange Advisory Committee, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) December 2022 — Present
- Develops policy and provides governance oversight for Social Stock Exchanges at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE).
Chairperson | Technical Advisory Committee for the Gross Domestic Knowledge Product (GDKP), MoSPI, Government of India 2025 — 2026
- Leads a panel of experts to formulate the GDKP framework and evaluate related proposals.
Member | National Teacher Awards Committee, Government of India 2024, 2025
Chairperson | Academic Leadership Committee, University Grants Commission 2024
- Developed a framework and capacity building plan for training the next generation of academic leaders in India.
Member | Search-cum-Selection Committee for Vice Chancellors, Government of Karnataka Dec 2022 — Feb 2023; Aug — Nov 2020
- Identified and recommended candidates for Vice Chancellor positions at newly established universities in Chamarajanagar, Bidar, Haveri, Hassan, Kodagu, Koppala, Bagalkot, Raichur, Mandya, and Bengaluru districts.
Member | Search-cum-Selection Committee, Director General, National Institute of Smart Governance, Government of India August 2022
Member | Committee to Review the National Youth Policy, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India July 2021
Chairman | Committee for Capacity Building for the National Education Policy (NEP), Ministry of Higher Education, Government of India February 2022
- Identified priority areas of NEP for implementation in Higher Education and mapped the capacity requirements at various levels of HEIs and regulatory bodies.
Member | Search-cum-Selection Committee for President, South Asian University, Government of India July 2021
Member | State Level Task Force, State Planning Commission, Government of Chhattisgarh February 2021
- Provided guidance on strategic plans for tribal development, forest and wildlife protection, and minor forest produce.
Member | Technical Group on Social Stock Exchange, SEBI October 2020
- Framed guidelines and operational processes for establishing India's Social Stock Exchange.
Special Investigator / Vigilance Director | Karnataka Lok Ayukta, Government of Karnataka Bangalore, India | September 2006 — August 2011
- Investigated complaints of maladministration and corruption in health, medical education, and the Public Distribution System on behalf of Karnataka's anti-corruption agency.
Member | Sub-Committee for Integrative Medicine, Karnataka Health Vision Group, Government of Karnataka March 2021
Member | Vision Group for Medical Education, Government of Karnataka January 2020
Member | Governing Council, Bangalore Ambedkar School of Economics (BASE), Government of Karnataka December 2019 — March 2022
Member | Common Review Mission, Ministry of Panchayath Raj, Government of India July 2017
Member | Governing Body, National Council of Rural Institutes (NCRI), Ministry of HRD, Government of India March 2017 — March 2020
Member | State Level Task Force on Elimination of Poverty, Government of Karnataka May 2015
Member | State Level Steering Committee, Karnataka Human Development Report, Government of Karnataka August 2013 — July 2014
- Contributed to planning and producing the first Human Development Report for the State of Karnataka.
Member | Expert Committee on Traditional Folk Healers, Government of Karnataka April — August 2013
Member | Task Force for Results Framework, Departments of Health and Social Services, Government of Karnataka July 2012 — June 2015
Member | Mission Group for Health, Karnataka Knowledge Commission May 2012 — March 2013
Member | Steering Committee, State Youth Policy, Government of Karnataka May — September 2012
Member | Expert Groups for Health, Higher Education, Skill Development and Tourism, Planning Department, Government of Karnataka 2012 — 2015
Member | Vision 2020, Office of the Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka September 2008 — March 2013
Member | Task Force on Tiger Conservation, Government of Karnataka 2009 — 2012
Member | Working Group for School Education, Karnataka Knowledge Commission 2009 — 2012
Member | Syllabus Committee, National Curriculum Review Committee, NCERT, Government of India New Delhi | 2006 — 2007
- Prepared the national curriculum on Health and Physical Education for primary and secondary schools across India.
Expert Member | Mid-Term Appraisal of the 10th Five-Year Plan, Planning Commission, Government of India 2005 — 2006
ACADEMIC SECTOR
Advisory Board Member | Jindal School of Public Policy, Indian Institute of Ahmedabad April 2025 — Present
Advisory Board Member | Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education April 2025 — Present
Advisory Board Member | School of Law, Governance and Public Policy, Chanakya University, Bengaluru January 2024 — Present
Visiting Faculty, ILR School | Cornell University, USA Fall 2017 — Spring 2024
- Delivered two for-credit courses: Exercising Global Leadership for the Social Sector and An Alternate Approach to Sustainable Development.
Adjunct Faculty | Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi March 2017 — 2022; 2026 — Present
- Teaches two for-credit courses — Exercising Enlightened Leadership and An Alternate Approach to Sustainable Development — through the National Resource Centre for Value Education for Engineers (NRCVEE).
Chairperson, Assessment Committee | Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata 2022 — 2023
- Assessed institutional performance in accordance with the IIM Act of Parliament.
Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor | Cornell University, USA July 2012 — June 2015
- A distinguished professorship designed to enrich undergraduate education by bringing individuals of exceptional achievement and creating opportunities for meaningful engagement with the student community.
Adjunct Professor, International Programs | University of Iowa, USA February 2011 — December 2019
Adjunct Professor | KLE Technological University, Hubbali February 2019 — March 2021
Guest Faculty | Indian Institute of Management, Trichy December 2020
Member, Admission Committee | Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, USA November 2018 — November 2019
Member, Board of Studies | Rashtram School of Leadership, New Delhi December 2019 — May 2021
Guest Faculty | Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, National Police Academy, and Central Training Institutes across India [Ongoing]
- Delivers lectures on Leadership for the Public Sector for senior and entry-level IAS personnel.
- Conducts leadership workshops for mid-career AIS and CSS civil servants.
- Facilitates sessions on Mission Karmayogi and on Decolonising Academies and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) in capacity building.
Faculty | Cornell Executive Management Programme (CEMP), ILR School, Cornell University, USA 2015 — 2017
Member, Teaching Team | 'Leadership on the Line', Harvard Kennedy School, USA January 2014
Visiting Professor and Head | Swami Vivekananda Chair, University of Mysuru Jan 2007 — Jan 2008; Mar 2014 — Mar 2015
- Led the Chair attached to the Department of Philosophy, delivering lectures on Swami Vivekananda, guiding research students, and organising seminars.
Member, Internal Quality Assurance Committee | University of Mysuru March 2014 — Present
Member, Board of Studies (Masters in Social Work) | University of Mysuru 2007 — 2009
Industrial Supervisor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering | University of Windsor, Canada 2011 — 2012
Guest Faculty | SDM Institute of Management Development, Mysuru 2011 — 2018
Guest Faculty | Centre for Innovations in the Public Sector (CIPS), Government of India, Hyderabad. 2011 — 2016
INTERNATIONAL BODIES AND CONSULTING
Member, Board of Trustees | YuWaah Programme, UNICEF India May 2020 — 2024
- Part of the Generation Unlimited programme of the UN, launched at the UN General Assembly in 2018. Led the taskforce for Young Changemakers.
Director, Alumni Board | Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, USA July 2016 — June 2020
Short-Term Consultant | The World Bank, Washington DC, USA 2017 — 2019
- Provided leadership coaching and capacity building support to the senior leadership of Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum in preparation for the Modernisation Programme and ongoing sector restructuring.
Reviewer | Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships, United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) July 2017
Technical Reviewer | Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA), The World Bank, Washington DC April 2013 — Present
- Reviewed GPSA project proposals submitted from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Member, External Review Team | Engaged Cornell Initiative, Cornell University, USA October — December 2012
Member, Task Force | UNAIDS Evaluation of the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (India) 2007
Short-Term Consultant | The World Bank, New Delhi July 2006 — November 2007
- Provided inputs on Public-Private Partnership, Behavioural Change Communication, and Good Governance for the Vector Borne Disease Control task team.
Consultant | Child Labour Project, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), India 2001 — 2002
Consultant | IFES, India 2007 — 2011
- Evaluated the USAID-funded community-based rehabilitation programme for mitigating gender-related violence against women; trained NGOs in community-led, rights-based development processes.
LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND COACHING
Leadership Trainer and Executive Coach | India and International Ongoing
- Conducts regular leadership workshops — Enlightened Leadership and Leadership for Global Citizenship — for corporates, NGOs, government agencies, and university students in India and internationally.
- Served as Leadership Coach to H.E. Tarak El-Molla, Minister for Petroleum, Government of Egypt (January 2018 — August 2019).
FELLOWSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS
- Mid-Career Fellow — Humanitarian and Development Domain, Hauser Centre for Civil Society, Harvard University, USA (2009 — 2010)
- Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, USA (2009 — 2010)
- TATA Scholar, JN Tata Endowment, India (2009)
- External Faculty Affi liate, Cornell Programme in Infrastructure Policy, Cornell University, USA (2013 — 2020)
BOOKS PUBLISHED
The Inner Charioteer: Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita - Forthcoming — Penguin Random House India
Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi - Penguin Random House India, New Delhi, June 2024 (Bestseller within one month of publication)
I, the Citizen - Cornell University Press, USA, 2015; Indian Edition: GRAAM, Mysuru
Leadership Lessons for Daily Living - GRAAM, Mysuru and ILSS, New Delhi
Voices from the Grassroots - GRAAM, Mysuru
Swami Vivekananda as I See Him - Available in English and Kannada
Abhivridhiya Kathegalu - GRAAM, Mysuru (in Kannada)
Hosa Kanasu — (New Dreams) - in Kannada
A Book on the malaise of Corruption - Vismaya Publications, in Kannada
- 'Refashioning India's Development Narrative' — Forum for Free Enterprise, Mumbai
- 'Towards a Healthy India: A Call for Action' — Forum for Free Enterprise, Mumbai
- 'Governance and Democracy in India' — Forum for Free Enterprise, Mumbai
- 'Public Services, Citizen Engagement and Social Accountability' — in Fighting Corruption: The Way Forward, Academic Foundation
- 'Swami Vivekananda: The Benefactor of the Masses' — in Swami Vivekananda: New Perspectives, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata
- 'Swami Vivekananda: The Prophet of Service' — in Swami Vivekananda: The Charm of His Personality and Message, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai
- 'School Health in India' — in School Health in India, Sage Publications, 2007
SELECTED PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERENCE PAPERS
- Lasker et al. 'Guidelines for Responsible Short-Term Global Health Activities: Developing Common Principles.' Journal of Globalization and Health (2018) 14:18. DOI: 10.1186/s12992-018-0330-4
- 'Global Health Partnerships and the Brocher Declaration: Principles for Ethical Short-Term Engagements in Global Health.' Annals of Global Health.
- Karpur A, Naik E, Taylor R, Seetharam MR, Balasubramaniam R, et al. 'Rural Indian Tribal Communities: An Emerging High-Risk Group for HIV/AIDS.' BMC International Health and Human Rights, 21;5(1):1. PMID: 15723696
- Balasubramaniam R. 'Social Assessment of the Health Care System in Mysuru District, Karnataka State in South India.' MPhil dissertation, 2002.
- Balasubramaniam R, Mamatha MR. 'Making Education a People's Movement.' Alternatives for Education Conference, Asha for Education, USA, 2003.
- Balasubramaniam R. 'Social Service and Youth — An Indian Perspective.' The Vedanta Kesari, December 2005.
- Karpur A, Naik E, Taylor R, Seetharam MR, Balasubramaniam R. 'Are Tribal People at Risk of HIV/AIDS?' Poster presented at the XIV International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 2002.
- 'Privilege and Disadvantage.' Presented at the National Consultation on Career Psychology, Bangalore, January 2006.
REGULAR WRITING AND MEDIA
- Monthly column on Leadership and Governance for Moneycontrol, one of India's largest fi nancial and general news platforms.
- Fortnightly columns 'Hosa Kanasu' (New Dreams) and 'Naanu Kanda Vivekananda' (Vivekananda as I See Him) in Prajavani, Karnataka's largest-circulation Kannada newspaper
- Column 'Policy, Politics and People' in Star of Mysuru.
- Columns 'Voices from the Grassroots' and 'Leadership Lessons for Daily Living' in Star of Mysuru.
- Satirical Column ‘The Lighter Side' in Star of Mysuru. (presently ongoing)
- Weekly column 'Vivekananda as I See Him' in City Today, Mysuru.
- Articles in Vedanta Kesari and Prabuddha Bharatha, publications of Sri Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
- Column in Civil Society magazine.
- Regular blogging at rbalu.wordpress.com on Swami Vivekananda, development, public policy, leadership, and everyday life.
- More than 600 journalistic articles in major national dailies and magazines in English and Kannada.
Distinguished Alumni Award — University of Mysuru — Centenary Year, February 2016
Distinguished Alumni Award — Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute — Centenary Year, December 2014
Mathur Krishnamurthy Award — Vanamali Charitable Trust, 2018
Swasthya Seva Ratna Award — Society for Indian Medical Anthropology — for outstanding medical service to indigenous tribal communities, May 2014
Vivekananda Award for Human Excellence — Ramakrishna Mission, Coimbatore, January 2014
Ahimsa Award — Bhagawan Mahaveer Trust — for Social Service, April 2012
India Pride Award — Dainik Bhaskar Group — for contribution to Social Development, 2011
Manavrathna Award — Rotary Club of Mysuru West — for Outstanding Social Service, 2011
Jayendra Saraswathi Award for Lifetime Contribution to Social Work — Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Kanchipuram, 2003
Loka Kalyan Award for Outstanding Service in Rural Health Care — International Gita Foundation Trust, Bangalore, 2003
Rotary Ramya Award for Social Service — Rotary Club of Mysuru, 2001
For the Sake of Honour Award — Rotary Club of Bangalore Cantonment, 2000
Paul Harris Fellow — Rotary Foundation of Rotary International — for contribution to social service, 2000
State Youth Award — Government of Karnataka, 1988
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
Dr. Balu has delivered over 800 lectures and presentations at universities, government bodies, corporate forums, training academies, national and international conferences, and civil society organisations over the last decade. Institutions include Harvard University, MIT, Cornell University, Wellesley College, University of Florida, University of Iowa, University of Minnesota, Colgate University, Allegheny College, Seattle University, UC Berkeley, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, IISc, IITs, IIMs, Indian School of Business, Azim Premji University, National Law School University of India, the World Bank, CII, FICCI, and numerous training institutes and civil society organisations in India and abroad.
Representative topics include:
- Building India's Human and Social Capital
- A Development Vision for India
- Evidence-Based Public Policy
- Entitlements Approach to Development
- Right to Information: A Community Driver and Tool for Development
- Ethics in Public Service
- Swami Vivekananda and Nation Building
- Community-Driven Development
- Social Accountability and Citizen Engagement
- Enlightened Leadership / Inspirational Leadership / Mindful Leadership
- Mission Karmayogi and Building State Capacity
- Decolonising State Academies and Indian Knowledge Systems in Public Policy
- Social Entrepreneurship and Social Stock Exchanges
- Reforming India's Bureaucracy / Preparing for an Atmanirbhar Bharat
PERSONAL DETAILS
Languages:English, Kannada, Hindi (Read, Write and Speak); Tamil (Read and Speak)
Interests:Reading (Indian scriptures, management, public administration, governance, leadership and development); classical Indian music; public speaking; trekking; nature walks; blogging on development issues
Professional Membership:Indian Medical Association
