UNODC is cosponsor of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS - UNAIDS
Meet The Team of Project G86
PRATIK KUMAR Project Coordinator RAS/G86 - Drugs & HIV
A graduate in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Pratik has over 16 years' experience of working mainly in the development sector with the Indian government. He has worked in various capacities within government departments, developing polices and guidelines for planning and implementation of national level programmes. He recently spent more than four years as the Deputy Director (IEC) in the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) where he was supervising national/state-level IEC activities, advocacy, targeted interventions, programmes for children and youth (including the School AIDS programme) rights issues and counseling.
PUSHKAR SINGH North East Coordinator, UNODC ROSA (Shillong-based)
Prior to joining UNODC, Dr. Singh was employed by the Indian Army, Ministry of Defense. He has served as Deputy Assistant Director Health, Military Regional Food and Factory Inspection Officer; Director, Regional Outbreak Investigation and Control Teams, Master Trainer HIV/AIDS for the armed forces and NCC Directorate.
Dr. Singh has also served as OIC for the implementation of prevention of drug abuse among armed forces personnel and their families. Dr Singh is a recognized teacher in biostatistics and epidemiology in Delhi University for the postgraduate training of dental officers in Army Hospital and R&R. He has been Associate Professor in PSM for Pune University for undergraduate and post graduate preventive and social medicine teaching programme. Among the various awards he has received are two Army Commander Commendation Medals for organizing relief operations in flood-prone areas and extensive work in the community for spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS.
Pushkar's interests include mountaineering and river rafting. He was the first Indian to successfully raft down the Mandikini and Alaknanda (Ganges) rivers in 1979. He has also played squash for the Indian Armed Forces and is the winner of the National Plate Tournament (1978). He also practises Vipassana Meditation.
BIDISHA PILLAI Project Officer IND/G86 - Drugs & HIV
Bidisha has nearly ten years of experience in communications, campaigns, advocacy and programme coordination, both in the development as well as in the banking and financial services sector. She started her career in the corporate world, specializing in high-value customer relationship and portfolio management, but says she soon gave it up to follow her heart to work with disadvantaged children and women. In the development sector, she has worked on a range of issues including child rights, prevention of child labour, education, gender equity, violence against women and trafficking. More recently she has specialized on food and nutrition security and information and communication technologies in development, which she believes has given her a broad perspective of developmental challenges and the need to address them in an integrated manner. Immediately prior to joining UNODC, she was working with FAO to develop and manage an online Community of Practice on Food and Nutrition Security. Bidisha holds a Master's Degree in Sociology from the University of Annamalai and a Diploma in Advertising from the Birla Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Ms. Bansal is an alumni of the Lady Sri Ram College, New Delhi and has done her Management in Media from the International Management Institute, IMI Delhi. She started her career as a playwright at the age of 19 with a play on AIDS. Thereafter she went on to write, direct, produce plays and script films on a varied number of subjects like the '1992 communal riots in Mumbai', 'prostitution' and 'globalization', 'Indian religious philosophy' etc. Soon she found herself at the studios of Balaji Telefilms in Mumbai, writing for their much-acclaimed daily soap opera, 'Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki'. After her management studies, Ms. Bansal started her formal career with advertising and worked as a creative copywriter with the leading advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson at New Delhi. Extending her understating of brands and marketing communication, she later joined The Indian Express Newspapers as the Assistant Manager for Business Development to take the newspaper in to newer markets. She is also a kathak dancer by vocation.
SUSMITA BANERJEE Project Associate,(North East Office) IND/I49, RAS/G86 Drugs & HIV
A postgraduate in Applied Psychology from Calcutta University, India. Susmita has extensive experience in Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention and has been associated with capacity building, monitoring and evaluation of NGOs working in this field. As a consultant psychologist she has provided counseling to clients with psychiatric and emotional problems. She has also been involved in preparing IEC materials and modules on Life Skill Education.
Jayant is a Graduate in Arts (Humanities) from the Osmania University, Hyderabad. Jayant has experience in varied fields i.e. marketing, medical transcription and IT. He has worked in various capacities in these fields. He was recently a fellow on the FINGODAP exchange programme with Canada. He is a self-learner and is keen to upgrade his skills on the issue of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.
LAETITIA JONES MUKHIM Administrative & Finance Assistant, (Shillong Office) IND/I49, RAS/G86 - Drugs & HIV
Laetitia is from Shillong, Meghalaya. Laetitia is a graduate in English from St. Mary's College under the North Eastern Hill University, Meghalaya. She joined the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Project office (Northeast) in the year 2000. She has been working in administration and finance under various projects in the northeast. In five years with UNODC, she has received excellent exposure in the field of drug abuse and the larger ramifications of such abuse. She has extensive organizational and networking skills. She has been instrumental towards building linkages with project partners and this has strengthened the work in the northeastern region.
