Binoy Acharya

Binoy Acharya is a development practitioner and policy expert with over 35 years of experience in democratic governance, social accountability, disaster risk reduction, and social inclusion. He is the Founder and Director of UNNATI – Organisation for Development Education, a civil society organisation established in 1989 that works to strengthen the rights, resilience, and participation of vulnerable communities. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively with governments, civil society organisations, and grassroots networks to promote participatory governance, decentralised planning, and community-led development. He played a key role in operationalising Gujarat's statewide social audit system for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and provided technical support to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in the preparation and revision of India's National Disaster Management Plan. He continues to advise governments and development institutions on organisational development, stakeholder participation, gender mainstreaming, disaster resilience, and public policy while contributing to national and international leadership initiatives.

Past & Advisory Affiliations:

• Technical Advisor, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Government of India
• Advisor, Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), Government of India
• Advisor, Gujarat CSR Authority
• Member of various national and state-level advisory forums on governance, disaster management, and social accountability
• Worked with the Government of Gujarat to operationalise the statewide MGNREGA Social Audit System (2010–2014)

Educational Qualifications:

• M.Phil. in Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi