Founder Director of GRASP and the main catalyst in setting up the organisation, Rajinder has made seminal contribution to the field of rural development and environmental resources management in India focusing on the poor and marginal people. He has spearheaded large scale resource management projects, development programmes and organisations. Beginning his career with PRADAN after doing his graduation and master from IIT-Kharagpur, he has worked as a practitioner, researcher, policy analyst and consultant with various Civil Society Organisations, donors, bilateral and multilateral agencies, corporate agencies, financial institutions and various State Government departments across India. His areas of expertise include environmental resource management, watershed management, water resource management, rural livelihoods, micro-finance, micro-enterprise, institutional analyses, strengthening governance, community empowerment, capability building and social risk management.

With over 35 years of experience, Yugandhar is one of the pioneers in watershed development and natural resources management in India. He was associated with the projects like Adgaon and Kadwanchi and played key role in design of the Indo-German Watershed Development Programme, Kutch Drought Proofing Programme, District Poverty Initiatives Programme (DPIP-MP), PRI and WASH programmes in Himachal Pradesh He has extensively worked on design, development and management of several programmes in natural resources management, rural livelihoods, gender in technology and climate change adaptation, with special emphasis on community empowerment. He has worked with many Civil Society Organisations for organisational development, institutional capacity building and strategic management.

Noted social entrepreneur, Hemant Anantrao Joshi, has promoted Arya Chanakya Gurukul School at Jatwada, near Aurangabad, about 25 years ago. Concerned with the plight of the poor farmers in drought prone areas of Maharashtra, he worked for their socio-economic development as the Director of Janata Sahakari Bank Ltd, Pune and Chatrapati Sahakari Sakhar Udyag at Chitegoan over the last two decades. He studied for Mechanical Engineering at Government College of Engineering at Aurangabad, and did his masters in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from IIT, Bombay. He successfully blended his entrepreneurial skills in industrial fabrication and civil construction with rural infrasturcure in water supply and sanitation.

Sanjay worked with PRADAN in Bihar and Maharashtra after doing his masters in Applied Geology from IIT-Kharagpur. Having strong acumen and long experience in watershed development and soil water conservations, he led three of GRASP's flagship projects in watershed development and aquifer water management. Known for his skills in scaling up of technical interventions for rural development, he has trained several professionals in watershed management. With his sound field experience in geo-hydrological survey and analysis, he contributed to several water resource management projects in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Having started her career with Nirmala Nikeran and having worked at the grassroots at various places in Maharashtra for nearly twelve years, Ujwala joined academics as a faculty at the Karve Institute of Social Work, Pune in 1995. A social work educator in gender issues, participatory methodologies, group dynamics, women development and social legislations, she is an accomplished trainer and coach working on capacity building of government officials, NGO staff and grassroots level workers. Her contribution is acknowledged in many fields as master trainer in entrepreneurship development among women, for women's Self Help Groups, micro-finance and empowerment, participatory approaches, gender issues, Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act, among others. She has a long experience in the field of social work research, action research, evaluation of government schemes and development programmes.

In her career of over 35 years, Sudha has been a Trainer, Executive Coach, Facilitator and Mentor in the Corporate, Not-for-Profit and Government sectors. She is also the Founder of One Degree Leadership Consulting and Mind Body Wellness India. Her efforts saved hundreds of families overcome the trauma and distress during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. She has helped conduct several Leadership Labs and Trainings to help leaders to grow and succeed in their respective roles. Her passion is Coaching, and she has been a Facilitator and Coach with McKinsey, CCL and CFI. Sudha has been a Meditator for over 25 years now. She is also a Reiki Grandmaster and a certified PsychoDrama practitioner, which she uses in Healing and Coaching.

Over the last forty years, Pravin demonstrated his multi-faceted talent in the various fields of rural development, agriculture, education, health, value chains and environment. Finalist of the 2007 UNDP-CII Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Pravin is known for many Firsts in rural development. Having studied economics for BA (Hons) at Fergusson College and for MA at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, and having worked with Oxfam and Action Aid for nearly ten years, he established a grass roots action initiative, Janarth, in Aurangabad in 1986. Known widely for his "actual" market intervention by setting up a trading unit in the mainstream Mandi (agricultural market) and setting up a Dal Mill, he started the "mobile sakhar shalas" (sugar schools) for the children of migrant sugarcane cutters in Maharashtra way back in the nineties.