IPARN FOUNDATION is governed by the Board of Directors:
Prof. (Dr) Manoj Dixit
Chairman
Vice-Chancellor, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
Former Vice-Chancellor, Dr Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India
DIN (Director’s identification number): 08526583
Email: chairman@iparn.org
Prof. Manoj Dixit is the visionary and architect of the IPARN FOUNDATION. He is Professor and Head at the Department of Public Administration, University of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. A widely known scholar in the field of Public Administration and Public Policy, Prof. Dixit was an Adjunct Professor at the School of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China from 2011 to 2014. He is also a Researcher at the School of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China from 2013 onwards. Before this Prof Dixit was Associate Professor in Public Administration at the Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during the year 2005-06. His fields of specialization are Administrative Theory, Public Policy and Tourism Management.
A highly travelled Scholar, Prof. Dixit has presented and published more than fifty papers and acted as Chairperson and Discussant in many significant International conferences organized in Indonesia, China, Australia, Bangkok, Lithuania, Macau, Moscow, Sharjah, Dubai, Sri Lanka and the United States. Prof. Dixit is also Editor-in-Chief of one International and two national Journals. Prof. Dixit did his research on ‘Tourism Management’ in the subject of Public Administration. He was also the Honorary Director of the Tourism Studies Institute of Lucknow University and Kanshi Ram Tourism Management Institute of Uttar Pradesh Tourism for a long time. Prof. Dixit has authored more than ten books on tourism topics, which today are worldwide referred. He has also prepared the world’s largest dictionary on tourism. Around 850 tourism guides were prepared under his leadership at Lucknow University. Prof. Dixit has also supervised more than forty PhD Researches. He has also directed many funded/sponsored Major Research Projects and coordinated UGC-SAP DRS – II in Public Administration at the University of Lucknow.
Prof. Dixit is also a great orator. The style of his serious speech with interesting jokes at appropriate moments was found amazing and worth emulating from pretty senior academicians. Prof. Dixit has also proved himself to be a highly acclaimed academic administrator as the Vice-Chancellor of the Dr Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya. Dr Dixit’s constant efforts helped Ayodhya to be re-established on the tourism map. Before the Deepotsav in Ayodhya, he started programs like Ganga Dussehra Festival, Ayodhya Heritage Walk etc. About five years ago, under his leadership, a program called ‘Ram Rajyabhishekh’ was conceptualized in Ayodhya, whose major attraction was Deepotsav.
Under his excellent leadership, the event entered into the prestigious ‘The Guinness World Records’ in 2018. His contribution has been widely recognized and he has been awarded with many National Excellence Awards, including the prestigious ‘Paryatan Prabandh Ratna Award 2019’ from the Government of Uttar Pradesh, India. His excellent contribution to the discipline of Public Policy and Public Administration and to the country’s relatively weak stock of good academic administrators has always been appreciated.
Prof. (Dr) Inderjeet Singh Sodhi
Vice Chairman
Professor (Public Administration) & Head, Department of Local Governance, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Sriperumbudur, India
DIN (Director’s identification number): 08522230
Email: vicechairman@iparn.org
Prof Sodhi did Ph.D., M.A. (Public Administration), and M.A. (Political Science) from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India.
Earlier, he worked as Associate Professor (Public Administration), University of Dodoma, Tanzania (Africa) and as Head, Department of Public Administration, St. Wilfred’s Post Graduate College (Affiliated to University of Rajasthan), Jaipur and faculty member in the Department of Public Administration, S.S. Jain Subodh P.G. (Autonomous) College (Affiliated to University of Rajasthan), Jaipur. He has more than 18 years of teaching experience. Prof. Sodhi has travelled widely including Canada, Singapore, Turkey, Thailand, Tanzania, Nigeria, Egypt, etc. Dr Sodhi is conducting/has conducted several Research Studies on behalf of various organizations including ICSSR, Delhi; HCM Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration, Jaipur. Seven books (published from International and National publishers) have been written by him. More than thirty articles/papers published in well- repute International / National Journals and Books. He presented more than 50 papers in International / National conferences. He attended various training programmes. He has specialization in Governance, E-Governance, Public Policy, Local Governance, Panchayati Raj, Urban Development, Reform, etc. He is a member of International Public Policy Association (IPPA), Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Indian Political Science Association (IPSA), New Public Administration Society of India (NEPASI), Indian Public Administration Association (IPAA) and Administrative Change.
Responsibilities at the IPARN Foundation:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice-Chairman of the IPARN Foundation
Dr Saurabh Chandra
Managing Director (MD)
Assistant Professor (Selection Grade) – Public Administration at the Department of Public Administration in the Assam Don Bosco University, Guwahati, Assam, India
Secretary General of the RC10 -Research Committee on Electronic Democracy of International Political Science Association (IPSA), Montreal, Canada.
DIN (Director’s identification number): 08526663
Email: md@iparn.org
Dr Saurabh Chandra holds UGC-NET (Public Administration), and a PhD in Public Administration from the Department of Public Administration, University of Lucknow. His research papers have appeared in various national and international journals including the International Journal of Electronic Governance, Dynamics of Public Administration and so on. His areas of interest are e-Governance and Public Policy. His research primarily focuses on e-Governance adaptability and Policy analysis. Dr Saurabh has also performed several excellent academic invited lectures for students at different European and American Universities.
Throughout his career, Dr Saurabh has been actively involved in teaching and research. He served as an Assistant Professor (Public Administration) at the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), which is an Institution of National Importance established by an Act of Parliament under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, located in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. He also worked as a Guest Lecturer/subject expert at the Department of Public Administration, the University of Lucknow.
As the Managing Director of the IPARN Foundation (Integrated Policy and Administrative Research Networking Foundation), Dr Saurabh Chandra is responsible for overseeing the organization’s day-to-day operations. In his role as the Director in Charge of International Affairs, he takes on the responsibility of facilitating, planning, organizing, directing, and coordinating the development of international networks and think tanks comprised of scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of Public Policy and Public Administration. The objective is to foster a global exchange of knowledge for mutual benefit and advancement. Additionally, he is involved in the signing of MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) and agreements with various national and international organizations.
Dr Saurabh Chandra has successfully acted as a facilitator and coordinator for the IPARN Foundation in establishing MOUs with the following institutions:
- Migration Institute of Finland, Finland
- National Intercultural University of the Central Jungle “JUAN SANTOS ATAHUALPA” – UNISCJSA, Peru
- Alfred Nobel University, Dnipro, Ukraine
- Polissia National University, Zhytomyr, Ukraine
- Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University, Ternopil, Ukraine
- Dnipro University of Technology, Ukraine.
Dr Saurabh Chandra has recently been honoured with the prestigious award ‘Order for Research Leadership’ (Order No. 0015) from Alfred Nobel Planet (Alfred Nobel University, Dnipro, Ukraine, Europe). This recognition was bestowed upon him by the decision of the Board of the Charitable Foundation Alfred Nobel Planet, Ukraine. The award acknowledges his remarkable abilities and contributions as a research leader. The announcement of this esteemed accolade was made by the Rector of Alfred Nobel University, Dnipro City, Ukraine. Dr Saurabh Chandra received the award during the introductory session of the 2021COMAGI 1st International Conference on Migration and Gender Issues, which took place on 11th March 2021 at Alfred Nobel University, Dnipro, Ukraine.
Know more about Dr Saurabh Chandra
Roles and responsibilities at the IPARN Foundation:
Board of Directors Member: Dr Saurabh Chandra holds a position as a member of the Board of Directors at the IPARN Foundation.
Managing Director (MD): As the Managing Director, Dr Saurabh Chandra serves as the chief functionary of the IPARN Foundation. His role entails overseeing the day-to-day operations of the organization, including the appointment and termination of employees. He is also responsible for performing tasks as outlined in the Articles of Association of the Foundation and authorized by the Board of Directors.
International and National Networking In-charge: Dr Saurabh Chandra is entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing international and national networking activities at the IPARN Foundation. This involves facilitating, planning, organizing, directing, and coordinating the development of global networks and think tanks comprising scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of Public Policy and Public Administration. The aim is to foster a worldwide exchange of knowledge for mutual benefit. Additionally, he is involved in the signing of MOUs and agreements with other national and international organizations.
Prof. (Dr) Prabhat Kumar Datta
Director
Adjunct Professor, Institute of China Rural Studies, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China, and, Honorary Professor, Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Kolkata, DAAD Professorial Fellow in Heidelberg University, Germany
DIN (Director’s identification number): 08526556
Email: pkdatta@iparn.org
Professor Prabhat Kumar Datta who held the Centenary Chair of Public Administration in the Department of Political Science, the University of Calcutta for more than two decades. Currently, he is the Adjunct Professor, Institute of China Rural Studies, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China He is also is currently the Honorary Professor, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (promoted by the Government of West Bengal as the Centre of Excellence in Social Sciences). He was awarded the prestigious Surendranath Banerjee Gold Medal by the University of Calcutta for standing First in the First Class in MA Examination in Political Science. He was DAAD (awarded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany) Professorial Fellow at the University of Heidelberg, Germany in 2008.
He worked as a member of the University Grants Commission’s Panel in Political Science and Public Administration and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Indian Political Science and Indian Public Administration Associations.
He worked in Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute as a nominee of the Government of India. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Asian Association of Public Administration (2014—2017). Formerly, he was a member of the Advisory Body of Participatory Research in Asia, (a research NGO) New Delhi and currently, Vice President, Society for Socio-Economic Studies and Services, Kolkata. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal, Asian Journal of Rural Studies published by Asian Rural Sociological Association in association with Hasanuddin University, Indonesia.
A widely travelled scholar, Professor Datta worked for nearly two decades as the Honorary Advisor, State Institute of Panchayats and Rural Development and Institute of Local Government and Urban Studies, Government of West Bengal. He was also the chairperson of the State Level Technical Advisory Committee, Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission under the Departments of Municipal Affairs and Urban Development, Government of West Bengal. He has authored and or co-authored 28 books. Recent publications in the field of local governance include Decentralisation, Participation and Governance (2006), Participatory Governance: Ward Committees in Action (co-author) (2007), Self-Help Groups in West Bengal (co-author) (2008), Good Governance and Development (co-author), (2009), Urban Governance and Development (2009), Engendering Urban Governance in West-Bengal (co-author) (2010) and Participatory Planning in West Bengal (co-author) (2011), Democratic Governance and Decentralised Planning : Rhetoric and Reality (2012). His latest co-authored article has been published in the special issue (2018) of Indian Journal of Public Administration (Sage Publication). His articles have been published in the distinguished national and international journals like the Journal of Asian Studies, Korean Journal of Area Studies, Indian Journal of Public Administration, Asian Review of Public Administration, Indian Journal of Political Science, Indian Journal of Social Science.
His papers have been translated into Chinese and published in the Third Sector Research, Jiaotong University, Shanghai. He has contributed to the news magazines like Frontline, Mainstream and in weeklies like Economic and Political Weekly. His articles have also been published in English dailies like The Telegraph and dailies in Bengali like Ananda Bazar Patrika, Bartaman, Sambad Pratidin published from Kolkata.
He has presented papers in many national and international conferences as invited speakers. He has worked with scholars from Amsterdam University, Netherlands and Danish Institute for International Studies, Copenhagen, Wongsu University, Korea, Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, Jiaotong University in Shanghai, China and Shenzhen University in Shenzhen China and Nanyang University in Singapore. He has delivered invited lectures in many Asian, European and Australian universities. His special academic interests include local governance, gender and politics in India.
Responsibilities at the IPARN Foundation:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- In-charge of the projects: Responsibilities includes facilitation, planning, organizing, directing and coordinating for various national/international Governmental/non-Governmental projects, research studies, surveys, issues and agendas so that IPARN Foundation may provide support and consultancy to other organizations in various areas of Public Policy and Public Administration, and its ecosystem and work on various national/international Governmental/non-Governmental projects, research studies, surveys, issues and agendas.
Prof. (Dr) Prakash Chand
Director
Professor, Center for the Study of Law & Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
DIN (Director’s identification number): 08522263
Email:profprakashchand@iparn.org
Dr.Prakash Chand holds a PhD from the University of Delhi. He has been awarded a doctoral fellowship by Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR) and a Post-doctoral research award by University Grants Commission (UGC).
He has five books to his credit, which are: Environmental Governance in India: issues and challenges (SAGE, 2018), Public Administration in a Globalizing World(Co-authored) (SAGE, 2012), Indian Administration: Evolution and Practice (Co-authored) (SAGE, 2016), Public Policy: Concept, Theory and Practice (Co-authored) (SAGE, 2016) and Public Administration: From Government to Governance (Co-authored) (Orient-BlackSwan, 2017).
His research papers have appeared in various national and international journals including Indian Social Science Review, Social Change, Social Action, Urban India, Indian Journal of Public Administration, Administrative Development, Indian Journal of Social Inquiry, Research Journal Social Sciences, Gandhi Marg and so on. His areas of interests are public administration and environmental policy and politics in India. His research primarily focuses on the politics of urban environment in contemporary India.
Responsibilities at the IPARN Foundation:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- In-charge of Charity: Responsibilities includes facilitation, planning, organizing, directing and coordinating for the attainment of charitable objectives of the foundation.
- Facilitation and production of Newsletter of the Foundation.