Mysuru: Dr. Basavaraju R. Shreshta, Executive Director of Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), Mysuru, has been invited as a Distinguished Speaker at the Academic Symposium on Monitoring and Evaluation Education-2024 to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from Dec. 2 to 4.

The Symposium, organised by the Centre for Evaluation at the University of Arizona Jayewardenepura, the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association and the Consortium of Institutions on M&E Education in Asia Pacific, brings together leading experts and academicians from different countries to enhance the understanding and integration of M&E into the educational curricula of management, social sciences, and development studies.

He has extensive expertise in policy analysis, grassroots development and policy engagement. His role as the National Coordinator of the G20 Delivering Democracy (DD) initiative in India demonstrated his commitment to promoting democracy and strengthening the government-civil society relationship through participatory governance.

Dr. Basavaraju has significantly contributed to public policy through his leadership roles, emphasising community-oriented governance, which remains a pivotal aspect of his teaching and policy work.

Dr. Basavaraju has authored or contributed to several influential policy and strategy documents, including the Karnataka Vision 2025 – Skill Development and Employment Vision Document, Policy on Skill Development, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship 2023-30, National State of the Sector Report on 21st Century Skills and part of the $1 Trillion Economy Vision Group for Karnataka.