NEW DELHI: Chetak Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Chetak Group, the leading player in logistics in India has inducted Prof G Raghuram, a Distinguished Visiting Faculty and Principal Academic Advisor of the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), a University promoted by the Indian Ministry of Railways, and former Director IIM Bangalore, as the Chairman of its advisory board to build upon his strong background in Logistics, infrastructure and academics.
The foundation has been set up to work on improving the quality of life for underprivileged communities in logistics and other public domains.
A B.Tech. from IIT, Madras, a Post Graduate in Management from IIM, Ahmedabad and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, USA, Prof Raghuram specializes in infrastructure and transport systems, logistics and supply chain management. He conducts research on the railway, port, shipping, aviation and road sectors. He has been part of various government policy-making and advisory committees.
Speaking on the development Sachin Haritash, Board of Director Chetak Group said, “We are really honored to have Prof. G Raghuram Chair the Advisory Board of Chetak Foundation. His immense experience in multi-modal transportation and logistics and his lineage and association with the globally renowned institutions will certainly bring in huge value to the Foundation. We look forward to his guidance and support in further streaming our efforts, especially by creating opportunities for underprivileged in the logistics sector, creatively.”
Prof Raghuram, in addition to his current role as a Principal Academic Advisor and Distinguished Visiting Faculty at NRTI, is also Professor (Emeritus) at the Gujarat Maritime University.
He has been Director, IIM Bangalore, from February 2017 to July 2020. Earlier, he was Professor and Chairperson of the Public Systems Group at IIMA. He has been Dean (Faculty), IIMA, Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University and Indian Railways Chair Professor.
“I am happy to associate with Chetak Group and Foundation. When Sachin shared with me the Foundation’s vision to enhance employability of underprivileged youth and to enhance the stature of Logistics as a career option, I could immediately relate, as both these are quite close to my heart. I look forward to working with the Foundation team and together, we will earnestly work to make a positive impact on society.” said Prof G Raghuram.
Prof Raghuram has published over 35 refereed papers in journals and written over 160 case studies. He has published six co-authored books. He has teaching experience at universities in India, the USA, Canada, Yugoslavia, Singapore, Tanzania, UAE and Japan. He was a member of the Global Future Council on Mobility of the World Economic Forum.
He will bring in his huge experience and networking skills to further enhance the foundation’s efforts to help the underprivileged section of society, especially in the identified areas of focus.
The Chetak Foundation has decided to focus on broad areas including Education, Livelihood, Health, Safety, and Environment.
The Foundation has rolled out amazing schemes to take its mission forward like Poshan Plus (Hunger alleviation and Nutrition), Swasthya Plus (Health & Fitness), ‘Siksha se Rozgaar’ (Education to Livelihood), Zindagi Plus (Road safety), Oxygen Plus (Environment protection), and Sahayata Plus (Disaster/Emergency support).
Recently the Chetak Foundation has been bestowed upon with the CSR India’s Award for Skill Development and CST Times Award for its Health Initiatives during Coved. The Foundation distributed high-quality sanitization kits to thousand of Covid front-line workers.
Chetak Foundation has tied up with Delhi Skill and Entrepreneur University for Skill Development initiatives and Vision Spring for its Vision and Road Safety initiatives. The Foundation has also associated with credible organizations like Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi Metro, Indian Oil Corporation, Haryana Government and CRPF for its health, nutrition, environmental and road safety projects.
