Anna Hazare is one of India's well-acclaimed social activists. A former soldier in the Indian army, Anna is well known and respected for upgrading the ecology and economy of the village of Ralegan Siddhi which is located in the drought prone Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state. The erstwhile barren village has metamorphosed into a unique model of rural development due to its effective water conservation methods, which made the villagers self-sufficient. Earlier, the same village witnessed alcoholism, utter poverty and migration to urban slums. Inspired by Hazare’s unique approach of salvaging a hopeless village, the state government has implemented the `Model Village’ scheme as part of its official strategy. Hazare is now synonymous with rural development in India.

Dr Shantha Sinha, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)

Dr Shantha Sinha, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is known for her pioneering work on the issue of child rights. In recognition of her efforts, she was awarded the Padmashri in 1998 and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 2003. She is the founder Secretary Trustee of MV Foundation, a registered Trust based in Andhra Pradesh which has withdrawn over four Lakh children from work and mainstreamed them into schools. MV Foundation's work in setting up residential bridge courses for rescued child laborers and preparing them for formal schooling into an age-appropriate class has been widely acknowledged and has informed education policies in India and other developing countries. She is Professor in Political Science, University of Hyderabad.

Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar: Hope for the Future

Name	Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar
Father's Name	Shri Laxman Gopal Mungekar
Mother's Name	Shrimati Shewanti Laxman Mungekar
Date of Birth	02/03/1946
Birth Place	Deogad, District Sindhudurg (Maharashtra)
Maritial Status	Married On 7 February 1971
Spouse Name	Shrimati Leena Bhalchandra Mungekar
No. of Children	two Daughters One Son
State Name	Nominated
Party Name	Indian National Congress
Permanent Address	901, Carnation, Dosti Acre Complex, Wadala (East), Mumbai - 400037 Telephone : {022} 24170044, Mobile: 09819231946, 09869011946
Present Address	201, Brahmaputra, Dr. B. D. Marg, New Delhi - 110001 Telephone : 23708288, Mobile : 9013181946
Email id	mungekar[dot]b[at]sansad[dot]nic[dot]in
Educational Qualifications	B.A.(Hons.) in Economics, M.A.(Economics) Ph.D. Educated at University of Mumbai
Profession	Economist, Teacher, Educationist, Social Worker
Positions Held	1999 Member, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, Government of India July 2004-June 2009 Member, Planning Commission March 2010 Nominated to Rajya Sabha May 2010 onwards Member, Committee on Urban Development Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs July 2010 onwards Member, National Council for Teacher Education
Freedom Fighter	No
Books Published	Books (in English): (i) The Political Economy of Terms of Trade, 1992; (ii) Buddhism and the Contemporary World : An Ambedkarian Perspective, 2006 and (iii) Dr. Ambedkar's Approach to Buddhism, 2010; in Marathi: (i) Indhan (Fuel), a collection of fifty newspaper column articles., 1998 and (ii) Me Asa Ghadalo (The Story of My Life), 2008, nominated as Modern Indian Classic by the Sahitya Academy and is being translated into several languages; Edited; (i) Indian Economy in the New Millenium (with Nachane and Rao), 2001, (ii) The Economy of Maharashtra : Changing Structure and Emerging Issues, 2003 and (iii) Buddhism and the 21st Century, 2009; Monographs: (i) A Blueprint of Maharashtra's Agricultural Development (with Mahendra Dev), 1996, (ii) Dr. Ambedkar's Quest For Democratic Socialism, 1999, (iii) The Political Economy of India's Economic Development since Independence (in Marathi), 2000, (iv) The Political Economy of Globalisation (in Marathi), 2001 and (v) India's Economic Reforms and the Dalits : An Ambedkarian Perspective, 2003
Social and Cultural Activities, Literary, Artistic and Scientific Accomplishments and other Special Interests	Founder of several social, educational and cultural organisations; organised several seminars, national and international conferences on the issues of national importance along with academic, deeply interested and involved in activities relating to the upliftment of weaker sections; has published 25 well-researched articles on the issues of Economic Development, Agriculture, Trade, globalization, etc.; a leading authority on Dr. Ambedkar's philosophy, ideology and movement for Social Emancipation; honoured with several prestigious awards for rendering services in the fields of education, culture, literature and social work including (i) D. Litt. (Honoris causa) by the Vishweshwaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, (ii) The first Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Award by the Marwadi Foundation, (iii) Outstanding Educationist Award by the National Centre for Research and Development in Education, Science and Technology, Mumbai, (iv) Rajiv Gandhi Award for Best Educationist by the Mumbai Pradesh Congress Committee, (v) Satyashodhak Dinkarrao Javalkar Award by the Mahatma Jotirao Phule Foundation, Pune, (vi) Bhai Madhavrao Bagal Award by Bhai Madhavrao Bagal University, Kolhapur, (vii) Rajarshi Shahu Award by the Rajarshi Shahu Foundation, Kolhapur, (viii) Pride of Maharashtra Award by the Maharashtra Times, a prominent Marathi daily, and (ix) Pride of Sindhudurga District Award
Sports, Clubs, Favourite Pastimes and Recreation	Reading, writing, social work, music, films and dramas
Countries Visited	Canada, China, France, Germany and U.K.; important academic visits include: (i) Canada, to attend the Conference of the International Association of Universities , December 2000, (ii) France and Germany, visited several universities on the invitations from the German Academic Exchange Programme and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of France, (iii) U.K., to deliver the First Dr. Ambedkar Memorial Lecture on India's Economic Reforms and the Dalits: An Ambedkarian Perspective at the Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, (iv) China, as Member of the delegation of the University Grants Commission, visited ten universities to study the Chinese Education System and its Relevance to India, June 2002, (v)France, as a Member of the official delegation led by the Minister of Human Resource Development, September 2005, and participated in the world conference organised by the UNESCO on Education for All in Paris and (vi) Beijing (China), as leader of the Government of India's delegation to the 5th High Level Group Meeting on Education for All
Other Information	President, Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Social and Economic Change, 1995-2008; Founder President, (i) Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Social and Economic Change and (ii) Yashodhara Cooperative Credit Society Ltd.; Founder Vice-Chairman, Parivartan Cooperative Bank Ltd.; Vice- Chancellor, University of Mumbai, May 2000-July 2004; President and Chairman, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla since September 2005; served in the Reserve Bank of India, 1965-74 and resigned in 1974 as Economic Assistant; was awarded three year UGC fellowship for doing Ph.D. in Economics, however, chose to become Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Mumbai in 1984; Associate Professor, Agricultural Economics, 1989; Professor, Industrial Economics, 1998; was invited by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for carrying out a comparative study of the Indian and Chinese Agricultural Price Policies in 1996; as a Member of the Planning Commission, Government of India, suggested several new policies and programmes in the areas of Education, Social Justice and Empowerment, Tribal Affairs, Labour and Employment, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, which subsequently became a part of the 11th Five-Year Plan; Reports submitted as Member, Planning Commission on (i) Intersectoral Issues relating to the Tribal Development (including the drafting of the Tribal Forests Rights Act) (three reports); (ii) Minority Concentration Districts and Implications of Geographical Distribution of Minorities in Towns and Cities (two reports), (iii) Financing Higher and Technical Education and (iv) Review of National and State Eligibility Tests (two reports); participated in several national and international seminars and conferences, and contributed papers; has delivered more than 150 public lectures in different parts of the country on topics such as democracy, secularism, caste system and untouchability, gender equality, development and justice, education, globalization, trade unions, etc.; Convenor, Sub-Group on International Seminar on Buddhism and the 21st Century organised by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, to commemorate the 2550th Anniversary of Tathagat Buddha, 4-6 Febraury 2006