Consultant, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) India

Dr. D. Narasimha Reddy did his Ph.D in Political Science. In addition, he has been working in various capacities on environment and development issues. Involved in campaigns on industrial pollution since his student days at the University level, Mr. Reddy has been instrumental in producing a status report on environment in 1990 in Andhra Pradesh. He also authored environment education material for Universities and colleges, and also co-authored a book on Environmental Education, published in 2001.

He worked on different projects which included education and action research related to environmental problems. He has been working on agriculture issues of Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Reddy was associated with policy initiatives related to promotion of organic farming in India. He also was instrumental in developing Indian Organic Standards, that are suitable to Indian farming conditions. For his work, he was also elected as Board member of IFOAM-Asia. IFOAM-Asia is part of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) based in Germany. IFOAM is a pioneering organization on organic farming across the world.

Dr. Narasimha Reddy has also developed information and policy expertise on seed sector, cotton, sugarcane, sericulture and other related areas. he supports various initiatives on land and water issues. He is currently a Member of the Consultative Committee of Cotton Advisory Board, Ministry of Textiles.

He is the only analyst on Indian textile sector, contributing his thinking on integrating various segments of textile sector. Dr. Reddy established a centre on handloom sector, providing information and doing policy advocacy, dealing essentially with issues related to handloom sector in India. Under his leadership, a team has brought out 24 publications in Telugu on handloom sector in Andhra Pradesh, touching upon varied subjects including problems of women weavers, wages, unfair competition, handloom markets, handloom budgets and travails of shed weavers. His writings are extensively available on internet, at various websites. He strongly believes that information on handloom sector should go to handloom weavers, first and then to others.

Mr. Reddy has participated in several workshops and seminars in India and abroad on trade, agriculture and textile subjects. Mr. Reddy is the alumnus of the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction in The Philippines. So far, he traveled to Canada, Sweden, South Africa, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh and China.

He has also formed, promoted and is managing handloom production and marketing company, M/s. Chenetha Colour Weaves Pvt. Ltd, which is a social enterprise owned by handloom weavers. He is the founder CMD of this company from 2007, on honorary basis. This marketing model is unique in India and has brought together about 500 handloom weavers. It is creating lot of interest among various agencies. Dr. Narasimha Reddy has singularly lobbied for and succeeded in restoration of HS classification for handloom products.

His strength lies in working on different sectors and has wide knowledge on issues therein, which includes power sector, textile sector, agriculture and industrial sectors. Mr. Reddy has been an important member of civil society in Andhra Pradesh.

He mentored many young people in learning and capacitating themselves. An intense team player, Dr. Narasimha Reddy has built campaigns, advocacy programmes and policy change projects.

For the past 13 years, Dr. Narasimha Reddy has been associated with a team, named People’s Monitoring Group on Electricity Regulation, which has been contributing to public discourse and public interest-oriented policy changes in electricity sector of Andhra Pradesh. His Ph.D on ‘Nuclear Energy Policy’ has enabled him to select handloom production as the best method of textile production in the current context of concerns over climate change.

He has worked extensively on urban water issues in Hyderabad. With Chetana Society, he guided and led advocacy programme in water and sanitation in Hyderabad, involving residents of various slums and poor household areas. Based on his idea, and initiative, Basthi Vikas Manch, a non-political party affiliated platform was formed in Bholakpur, which went to spread to other areas.

He worked on industrial pollution, Hyderabad Master Plan, lakes, rock mining, solid waste management and various other environment and livelihood linked issues in Andhra Pradesh.