In addition to our conventional developmental activities with our various partners, we also produce eco-friendly and organic tribal products consisting of honey and vinegar. We do this through Maikal Hills Natural Products Company(MHNPC). The company, set up and registered in 2005, is a non-profit organization that empowers the Bhil and Gond community by giving them access to livelihood options and establishing both forward and backward linkages, linking them with the companies and FPOs at the apex level.
Advisory Council for CARD, Bhopal
The Centre for Advanced Research & Development has set up an empowered Advisory Council to help its Chief Executive and senior management sharpen strategic inputs for meeting current and future challenges. Members of the board shall provide expert advice and guidance in project identification, planning, and execution, and for strengthening the monitoring and oversight functions.
The Advisory Council shall serve independently of CARD’s Governing Board and the management to provide, through its Chief Executive, any advice or strategic inputs they may seek from time to time. It shall have no governance responsibilities.
The Advisory Board shall focus primarily on: -
-
Identifying and developing strategic inputs and interventions for conceptualizing and developing ideas to overcome present and future challenges.
-
Providing and facilitating expert advice on matters of importance to the organisation.
-
Exploring expansion of network connections for promotion of CARD’s vision and purpose.
-
Serving as a sounding board for the Board and the Chief Executive on issues of organizational importance.
-
Any other matter it considers of importance or is brought to its attention by the CARD Management.
Shri R Prasuram is the Chairman of the Advisory Council and the other members include; Mr Anurag Shirivastva, Dr Amitabh Pandey and Dr Vivek Sharma. The Advisory Council shall have maximum of five members. The new members shall be invited to join the Advisory Council by the Chairman, CARD who is its ex-officio member. It shall meet once every quarter, or more as per need.
R. Parasuram, Chairman of the Advisory Council, is an independent consultant in rural development and public policy. He is currently a Senior Fellow at WRI India and serves on the India Board of Operation Eyesight Universal. He is also Chairman of SRIJAN and a founding member of the Bundelkhand Initiative for Water, Agriculture & Livelihoods.
A former IAS officer, he retired in 2013 as Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh. He subsequently served as State Election Commissioner and later as Director General of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis.
An electrical engineering graduate, he was also a Fellow at International Development Research Centre, Canada. His extensive experience in rural development, agriculture, and governance—across district, state, and international levels (including with FAO, IFAD, and WFP in Rome)—has shaped his strong commitment to sustainable livelihoods, poverty reduction, and natural resource management.
He has been associated with CARD since its inception, and now formally contributes through the Advisory Council.
Anurag Shrivastava, an Indian Forest Service (IFS, 1986 Batch) officer, has over 30 years of experience in public administration, forestry, and e-governance in Madhya Pradesh. He has held key leadership roles across the Forest, IT, and Horticulture Departments, driving major digital and institutional reforms.
He was instrumental in establishing MP Online, a large-scale e-governance platform, and led initiatives such as SWAN, State Data Centre, and Tele Samadhan, strengthening citizen service delivery. As Commissioner, Horticulture, he introduced transparent digital systems for subsidy management, and in the Forest Department, he led GIS-based digitization of forest boundaries across 95,000 sq. km.
He also played a key role in the IT-enabled reorganization of Madhya Pradesh (2000), ensuring smooth allocation of over 7.5 lakh employees. A recipient of National and State e-Governance Awards, he continues to contribute as an expert advisor, including with REC Bhubaneswar (2023–2025).
Dr Amitabh Pandey, Director, National Museum of Humankind, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sanghralya, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Prior to joining IGRMS Bhopal, he was Professor of Anthropology, Chairperson, International Centre of Community Forestry (ICCF) and Chairperson Training at Indian Institute of Forest Management Bhopal, he led over fifty projects in forest governance and community development. For over thirty years, Prof. Amitabh Pande’s career has journeyed through forests, communities, and museum spaces, and built bridges between anthropology, heritage, and sustainability. His work goes beyond preservation; it transforms heritage into a living dialogue that inspires communities and shapes policy.
Dr Amitabh Pande has done PhD in Anthropology from the University of Hyderabad. For the past 29 years, he is an active Researcher, Consultant, Trainer and an author as well. He has done about 50 research and Consultancy projects, funded by an international and national organisations like World Bank, GIZ, UNDP, UNICEF, JICA, WRI, JSDF, European Union, ICSSR, DST, MOEFCC, MOTA, etc. He has trained senior officers of the SAARC countries (Bhutan and Bangladesh). He has conducted more than 100 trainings for international, national and state organisations.
Dr Vivek Sharma, Chairman, Centre for Advanced Research and Development, Ph.D. in Economics on Sustainable Development through Resource Management from Barkatullah University, Bhopal, he started his career in urban & regional planning & research and later worked extensively on watershed, forestry and livestock policy planning. A natural leader, He is a capacity builder, a trainer, an efficient planner & an efficient implementer with the view of an economist. Since the inception of CARD, he has developed the organization with zeal and enthusiasm and devotion, becoming a synonym for CARD.