Delhi
Gram Unnati, India's first full-stack agricultural value chain services, has announced the appointment of Sunil Arora, former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, as its board’s new Chairman (Non-Executive).
Arora is a retired IAS with rich leadership experience spanning over 36 years. He has headed strategic departments while driving governance and policy reform initiatives both at the central and state government levels. He has served as Secretary to two key ministries – the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) and the then newly set-up Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
Aneesh Jain, CEO and Founder, Gram Unnati, said, “We are delighted to have Shri Sunil Arora join us. It is an honour to work under his esteemed guidance and supervision. His rich experience, insights and direction will enable Gram Unnati to further improve its market-linked solution for farmers and sustainably enhance their incomes.”
Arora has served as Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to the Government of Rajasthan and aside from being a key proponent of the Rajasthan State Industrial Policy, he has been on the board of various corporate entities, such as Barmer Mining and Lignite Company, Mahindra SEZ, and Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Limited. He oversaw the development of the Japanese Zone in Neemrana (Alwar), leading to the establishment of various manufacturing units in the State, for instance, Honda.
The former CEC has led administrative and policy reforms to revitalize the then Indian Airlines as its Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) from 2000 to 2005. Under his leadership, the airline turned profitable after years of incurring losses. He also served as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation during 2000-2002, wherein he played a key role in operationalizing the deployment of CISF for security purposes at airports. He was an advisor to Prasar Bharati and Director-General & CEO of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs.
"Aneesh and the entire team at Gram Unnati have over the years built something truly remarkable ... a sustainable and scalable solution to one of the greatest challenges faced by Indian farmers – access to fair markets. It gives me great pleasure and excitement to be a part of this young company’s journey towards a stronger foundation and higher milestones,” said Arora.