Brajesha Sharma

Brajesha Sharma is the Founder and CEO of Gram Sansad, an award-winning social innovation platform redefining rural governance in India through participatory, evidence-based and scalable local self-governance. An engineering graduate turned social entrepreneur, he has become a leading advocate for rural development, decentralisation and the empowerment of grassroots communities.

Convinced that India’s villages can be centres of inclusive growth, he built Gram Sansad, a project of the Random Variable Foundation, into a national initiative that strengthens Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and builds resilient, self-reliant rural communities. Under his leadership Gram Sansad works with thousands of Gram Panchayats on capacity building, evidence-based micro-planning, participatory budgeting, market linkages and digital governance.

Gender inclusion sits at the heart of his mission. He has set in motion leadership development for elected women representatives, strengthened SHG federations and built women-led livelihood enterprises, helping thousands of rural women move from the edge of governance and economic decision-making into the mainstream of their communities.

His work on the ground includes training Panchayat leaders in sustainable revenue models, advocating Own Source Revenue (OSR) strategies for financial independence, and building the Localised Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) into Panchayat plans. Combined with data-driven governance and ICT-based monitoring, this makes rural governance transparent, accountable and ready for the future, improving access to education, health, water and sanitation, and creating livelihoods that reduce migration.

His contribution to public policy and advocacy has been recognised by the Vice President of India, the Government of Bihar and leaders such as Shri J. P. Nadda. His models have informed state-level policy and continue to be adopted as best practice in decentralised governance. He engages regularly with government, civil society, academia and international development organisations, connecting indigenous knowledge with modern scientific approaches so that development models are technically sound, culturally relevant and rooted in communities.

Throughout his public life he has emphasised credibility and integrity in leadership, and believes that debate, deliberation, consensus and cooperation are the foundation of a thriving democracy. He encourages young people to take pride in their roots while contributing to rural development and nation-building.

His public life reflects the ideal of Antyodaya, the upliftment of the last person in society, inspired by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Through Gram Sansad he works to ensure that development reaches the most marginalised communities, making governance more inclusive, participatory and responsive to grassroots realities.