Contributor : Profile

Amod Kumar is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, with 23 years of administrative experience in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and an abiding interest in improving basic public services such as health and education. He currently serves as Member, Board of Revenue–UP, which is the highest policymaking body in the state for land management and administration. Amod earned his M.Tech. and B.Tech. degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, and a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from the Harvard Kennedy School. In his multiple policymaking roles in diverse sectors including health, basic education, mid-day meals, and rural development, he has striven to improve governance by introducing technology innovations like an online grievance redressal platform (Lokvani), a mobile app for maternal and newborn healthcare (mSakhi), and an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) for monitoring the mid-day meal programme. Amod has travelled to hundreds of villages during his numerous field postings, and has a first-hand understanding of rural markets, which hold the key to India's future growth. He has received several awards for his outstanding work including the Prime Minister's Award for excellence in public administration (2008). India Today (July 2010) and Forbes (August 2012) have featured him as a promising young leader of India.