Innovative Thought Forum (ITF) is an India centric “think + act” tank set up as non-profit charitable trust. It’s focus is on researching, discussing, debating and deliberating issues, subjects, problems and concerns that are relevant to India in national and international context and perspective. It proposes to pursue pilotable projects out of such efforts for assessing and ascertaining efficacy, utility and effectiveness in the Indian context. Such projects shall have to preferably satisfy 5 S framework of being Simple, Smart, Sensible, Sustainable and Scalable/Spreadable.
About Us
FOUNDER TRUSTEE
Mr. Satyanarayan Banwarilal Dangayach
Mr S B Dangayach is a distinguished alumnus of IIMA. After spending 45 years in corporate world in leadership positions,he is now busy as Founder Trustee of Innovative Thought Forum -an India centric “think+act “ tank and as National Vice President of Arogya Bharati. He is also former Chairman of “environment and plastic image committee of Plastindia Foundation.”
Mr Dangayach has served as Independent Director on boards of GMDC, GACL, GIPCL and GVFL. He is currently on the board of governors of Auro University, Surat.
Mr Dangayach is an ardent supporter of Homoeopathy and is a patron member of Global Homoeopathy Foundation (GHF). He was actively involved with Homoeopathy industry and was chairman of Healwell International Limited until a few years ago.
Mr Dangayach is a strong proponent of integrating all health and medicinal sciences for improvement of both public and personal health. He has been pushing for a much larger role for AYUSH everywhere.
Mr Dangayach is a passionate supporter of green, clean and sustainable development.
He has been advocating integration of renewables in the energy mix for improving access, availability and affordability of energy to all in India.
He views waste as a resource at wrong place and has been an ardent supporter of waste to wealth creation.
He has been focusing on micro enterprises and is evolving simple modules like VyaparSutra for empowering them He has recently compiled an anthology on “Pragmatic ways for Atmanirbhar Bharat “that contains articles of 75 India centric thought leaders.
ADVISORY BOARD
Mr. Anil Sharma
Mr Anil Sharma, is actively associated with various NGOs working in social sector. He is a Member of National Executive Committee of Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Treasurer of Institute for Narcotics Studies and Analysis. He was President of Bhartiya Vitta Salahkar Samiti and Vice chairman of Keshav Sahakari Bank Limited. A Chartered Accountant by profession, is a Member of National Financial Reporting Authority and an Adjunct Faculty with the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs.
Arun Goyal
Mr Arun Goyal is Director, Academy of Business Studies, New Delhi, a Think Tank on trade issues with databases developed over Last 40 Years. He is an authority on international trade , customs duty ,HSN ,GST ,WTO etc and has advised GOI to evolve innovative policies and practices .He has written many reports, commentaries, newspaper columns and books on the above subjects as well as biodiversity and recycling. His daily update on world trade and customs data are respected throughout India. He was awarded a silver trophy by Tax India Online (TIOL) for fiscal journalism in 2022.
Dewang J Aacharya
Mr Dewang J Aacharya is a Management consultant, thought leader, author and TV panellist. He is founder member of Innovative Thought Forum, Active with Jammu Kashmir Study Centre as member of central committee and Sahitya Sadhana Trust as Hon. Secretary. He has also served as Joint Secretary, HSSF – Gujarat chapter as Secretary Bharatiya Vichar Manch and Shahid Katha, Gujarat as Core Committee member.
Professor G Raghuram
Prof Raghuram is a Distinguished Visiting Faculty and Principal Academic Advisor of the National Rail and Transportation Institute of the Ministry of Railways. He is Professor (Emeritus) at the Gujarat Maritime University
He has been Director, IIM Bangalore, from February 2017 to July 2020. Prior to that, he was Professor and Chairperson of the Public Systems Group at IIMA. He has been Dean (Faculty), IIMA, Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University and Indian Railways Chair Professor at IIMA.
He specializes in infrastructure and transport systems, and logistics and supply chain management. He conducts research on the railway, port, shipping, aviation and road sectors. He has been part of various government policy making and advisory committees.
Raghuram has a BTech from IIT, Madras; a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM, Ahmedabad; and a PhD from Northwestern University, USA.
Mr. Hemant Chaudhary
Mr Hemant Chaudhary is founder of Circular Economy Alliance Australia (CEAA), a global coalition for leadership and capacity building in the Circular Economy .He is one of Australia’s top most experts in the area of sustainability and the Circular Economy and works extensively on global initiatives with the UN, World Bank and international agencies.
Jagdeep S. Kochar
Mr Jagdeep S. Kochar is a consultant for e-Governance and ICT projects with government and private companies. He has 35 years of experience in implementing projects, at state and national level. He is founder and former ED of IT division-GNFC Limited, Government of Gujarat.
Prof. M. V. Ashok
Prof. M.V.Ashok is an Agribusiness professional who retired as Chief General Manager of National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) Head Office, Mumbai. He has a 37 year experience in development banking and has also worked with Reserve Bank of India and Canara Bank.
Dr N. N. Mehrotra
Dr N. N. Mehrotra is a retired Deputy Director, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow. He is Secretary, Jeevaniya Society of Lucknow and an Executive Member of Mission Samriddhi, Chennai, besides a Vice President of IASTAM & Member Advisory Committee of AYUSH Ministry, GOI
Dr. Ramesh Gautam
Dr. Ramesh Gautam is former National Working President of Arogya Bharti. He is Ayurvedacharya based at Nagpur He was National General Secretary of Arogya Bharti from 2010 to 2016. From 1984 to 1994, he worked with Deendayal Research Institute and got an opportunity to work under Bharat Ratna Nanaji Deshmukh. He also shouldered the responsibility of Prant Sewa Pramukh and Bhag Sanghchalak in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Mr. M Rajamani
Mr. M. Rajamani belongs to 1982 batch of Indian Administrative Service. After 20 years of illustrious service in state of Orissa in several challenging administrative positions, he took charge as Joint Secretary in Ministry of Urban Development to design, launch and steer JNNURM, to success besides managing several responsibilities in the ministry for vital urban reforms.
He joined Jana Group consisting of NGO and other socially relevant organisations in Bangalore where he played a key role in projects relating to affordable housing and micro finance.
He is currently MD & CEO of Jana Holdings Limited and Jana Capital Limited and Advisor to Janaadhar India Private Limited
Prof. Satish Deodhar
Prof. Satish Deodhar teaches economics at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). He has varied research interests including agricultural markets, trade, food quality issues, and CSR. He has published papers in national and international journals and has authored quite a few books and monographs.
Prof. Deodhar was instrumental in transforming the paper-pencil Common Admission Test (CAT) of the IIMs into a Computer Based Test (CBT). He received the Distinguished Young Professor Award for Excellence in Research at IIMA. His doctoral study had received the Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award from the Food Distribution Research Society, USA.
Of late, he has been researching into economic ideas from Ancient Indian literature . His popular book “Economic Sutra” is a result of this pioneering work.
Dr. Shivang Swaminarayan
Dr. Shivang Swaminarayan is a researcher, clinician and former Member of Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, Ministry of AYUSH. He has been a member of various advisory panels and task forces of government, professional bodies, educational forums and Indian overseas delegations apart from having corporate engagements.
Dr. Sunil Shukla
Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General of Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad, has been closely working, for more than three decades now, in various areas linked with entrepreneurship education and development. His contribution to entrepreneurship education, research, training and institution building have been quite innovative. Dr. Shukla institutionalized ‘entrepreneurship education’ internationally and went on to launch an application-oriented, award winning post graduate, full-time education programme in entrepreneurship. Towards establishing a strong premise for entrepreneurship, Dr. Shukla also envisioned an outcome-based skill enhancing model for children and youths. Several organizations and departments are benefitting from his guidance and mentorship by having him on their Boards.
As a researcher, he has ably extended the frontiers of entrepreneurship, nationally and globally through empirical research and dissemination. He leads the largest and the most prestigious annual study of entrepreneurial dynamics in the world – the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) India Chapter.
Dr. Shukla has extensively worked in the international arena as well. His work in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries, Asia, Africa, America, Iran and Uzbekistan has been highly appreciate
Dr. Tushaar Shah
Dr. Tushaar Shah, an economist and public policy specialist, is an Emeritus Scientist of the International Water Management Institute, Colombo and Professor Emeritus of the Institute of Rural Management Anand. Over the past 40 years, Shah’s main research interests have been in water institutions and policies in South Asia, a subject on which he has published extensively. His notable contributions have been in comparative analyses of groundwater governance in South Asia, China and Mexico. In 2014, IWMI-Tata Program led by Shah was honored with United Nations Water Award for its work on energy-water nexus. He was honoured with the Distinguished Associate Award of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) in 2018.