About Self

As a development professional having spent approximately two decades in the villages of "Maikal" ranges in Madhya Pradesh, I see myself very fortunate to contemplate and write my experience, reflection and learning of working with the rural together with understanding self.

Here is the bio that has been published by Landesa, Seattle (USA) about me when I visited there in 2014:-

Amit Kumar Singh

Executive** (Projects), PRADAN, and Field Faculty for Ambedkar University Delhi

Dindori, Madhya Pradesh, India 

Amit Kumar Singh has been dedicated to the economic, political, and social empowerment of rural tribal women since 2005 when he started working for the Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN). Based in Dindori district, an impoverished area of Madhya Pradesh, Amit implements livelihood programs for PRADAN that enhance female farmers’ technical knowledge of agricultural planning and the judicious use of natural resources. He also designed and implemented a savings-based microfinance program that connects female farmers to regional and national banks and sensitizes female stakeholders—bank officers, government officials, and business leaders—to be accountable to  rural women. 

Amit encouraged the tribal women who initially participated in the microfinance program to form Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and later assisted the SHG’s to form a federation whose members support one another in accessing their rights and challenging the forms of discrimination they face in their homes and in society. Amit has increased these women’s awareness of their legal rights, including their rights to land; facilitated their involvement in local governance structures and public hearings; and groomed a cadre of local women leaders to support them. 

As part of PRADAN’s leadership team, Amit also conducts training sessions for PRADAN’s new development staff and is one of the field faculty for Ambedkar University Delhi ‘s master’s program in development practice.

Amit holds a bachelor’s degree in technology in agricultural engineering from Orissa University of Agricultural Engineering and Technology in Bhubaneswar.

* *Presently- "Team Coordinator" 

I am planning to write about the experience that I am acquiring while working at the grass roots and share with all of you, so that I can learn from you all...

Love
Amit