Role MandateAGCA Members Minutes of AGCA MeetingsAGCA Secretariat TeamFact-Finding Mission Reports
Role and Mandate of the AGCA

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) constituted the Advisory Group on Community Action (AGCA) in 2005 to provide guidance on community action initiatives under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) at the national level.  The AGCA comprises eminent public health professionals associated with major NGOs. The Population Foundation of India hosted the Secretariat for the AGCA from 2005 to 2023.

Terms of Reference for AGCA
  • Advise on developing community partnership and ownership for the Mission
  • Provide feedback based on ground realities, to inform policy decisions
  • Develop new models of Community Action and recommend for further adoption/extension to the national/state governments.
The AGCA Secretariat was located at:

Population Foundation of India
B-28, Qutab Institutional Area
New Delhi – 110 016
Tel: +91 11 438 94100
Fax: +91 11 438 94199
Email:  agca@populationfoundation.in

AGCA Members
Mr A R Nanda
Mr A R Nanda
Mr A R Nanda D-290, Sarvodaya Enclave New Delhi – 110 017 Tel: 26513347 Email : arnanda65@gmail.com Mr. A R Nanda is the former Executive Director of Population Foundation of India. He has held many important positions in the Government including Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India. Currently, he is associated with civil society organisations working on health, gender and nutrition. Mr Nanda is member/trustee of many organizations – the Indian Association for Study of Population (member and trustee), Indian College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (honorary fellow), the Gandhigram Institute ofRead More...
Dr Abhay Shukla
Dr Abhay Shukla
Dr Abhay Shukla SATHI- CEHAT Flat No. 3 & 4, Aman-E Terrace Plot No.140, Dahanukar Colony Kothrud, Pune-411 029 Maharashtra. Tel: 020 65006066/25472325 Email : abhayshukla1@gmail.com Dr Abhay Shukla, a public health physician, is the Coordinator of SATHI-CEHAT. He is the national co-convener of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (People’s Health Movement – India). Dr Shukla has edited and co-authored many books and reports on health care, including the Review of Health Care in India, Report on Health Inequities in Maharashtra, Nutritional Crisis in Maharashtra, and The Rights Approach to Health and Health Care. He has been involved in developing the frameworkRead More...
Dr Abhijit Das
Dr Abhijit Das
Dr Abhijit Das Centre for Health and Social Justice Basement of Young Women’s Hostel No. 2 (Near Bank of India) Avenue 21, G Block, Saket New Delhi-110017 Tel: 91-11- 26536041, 26511425, 26525303, 2653616 Email : abhijitdas@chsj.org Dr Abhijit Das is the Director of the Centre for Health and Social Justice, a policy research and advocacy institution on health and human rights, men and gender equality. Dr Das is a medical doctor with training in obstetrics, paediatrics and public health and has over 25 years experience in grassroots work, training, research and policy advocacy. He is the founder member of theRead More...
Mr Alok Mukopadhyay
Mr Alok Mukopadhyay
Mr Alok Mukopadhyay Voluntary Health Association of India B-40, Qutab Institutional Area South of I.I.T, New Delhi – 110 016 Tel: 47004300-30, 26512145 (D) Email : alok@vhai.org Mr Alok Mukhopadhyay is the Chief Executive of the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), a federation of 27 State Voluntary Health Associations working in the field of health and development in India. Mr Mukhopadhyay began his work in the social sector by developing an appropriate model of community based health and development in remote rural areas of Maharashtra. The model has been adopted by government and non-government organizations in South Asia. HeRead More...
Mr Gopi Gopalakrishnan
Mr Gopi Gopalakrishnan
Mr Gopi Gopalakrishnan World Health Partners BB-11, Greater Kailash Enclave – III New Delhi – 110 048 Tel: 011-40757100 Email : gopi@worldhealthpartners.org Mr Gopi Gopalakrishnan has over 25 years of experience in implementing large-scale service-delivery programmes in low-resource settings. Before setting up World Health Partners in 2008, he founded JANANI, a non-profit entity in the field of family planning.   Specializing in public–private partnerships, Mr Gopalakrishnan is an expert in leveraging private sector resources to complement public sector service provision. He was a member of India’s Population Commission and has played an advisory role with the Ministry of Health andRead More...
Dr H Sudarshan
Dr H Sudarshan
Dr H Sudarshan Karuna Trust No. 686, 16th Main, 4th T Block Jayanagar, Bangalore – 560 041 Karnataka Tel: (080) 22447612 Email : drhsudarshan@gmail.com Dr Hanumappa Sudarshan is a social worker and tribal rights activist. He is well known for his contributions to the upliftment of the forest dwelling tribes mainly Soligas in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. He graduated from Bangalore Medical College and became a medical doctor in 1973. Instead of pursuing a medical practice in the cities, he decided to work with tribal communities and started the Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra in 1980 for the integrated development of the tribals in the Chamarajanagar district ofRead More...
Ms Indu Capoor
Ms Indu Capoor
Ms Indu Capoor CHETNA Outreach B-Block, 3rd Floor, Supath-II, OppositeVadaj Bus Terminus, Ashram Road, Vadaj, Ahmedabad 380 013, Gujarat Tel: 91-079-27559976-77, 27569100/01 Email : chetna456@gmail.com Ms Indu Capoor is the Founder Director of Centre for Health, Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness (CHETNA). Established in 1980, CHETNA focuses its activities on empowering children, young people and women especially from the marginalised social groups to enable them to manage their own activities, especially nutrition, health and well being of their families and communities. A trained nutritionist, Ms Capoor has led the implementation of several people centered community based projects in nutrition, healthRead More...
Ms Mirai Chatterjee
Ms Mirai Chatterjee
Ms Mirai Chatterjee SEWA Chanda Niwas, Opposite Karnavati Hospital, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad – 380 006 Gujarat Tel: 91-79-26580530 Email : social@sewass.org Ms Mirai Chatterjee is the Director of the Social Security Team at Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). She is responsible for SEWA’s Health Care, Child Care and Insurance programmes. She chairs the National Insurance Vimo SEWA Cooperative Ltd and is the founder of the Lok Swasthya Health Cooperative. Ms Chatterjee is on the boards of many organizations, including the Friends of Women’s World Banking, the Public Health Foundation of India, Save the Children and the Health Action Partnership International. She wasRead More...
Dr Narendra Gupta
Dr Narendra Gupta
Dr Narendra Gupta PRAYAS Prayas Chittorgarh 8-Vijay Colony, Near Railway Station Chittorgarh-312001 Rajasthan Tel: 1-1472-243788/250044/243674 Email : narendra@prayaschittor.org Dr Narendra Gupta, a community health physician, is the founder member of the PRAYAS. He has worked for improving the health, education and livelihood of the Bhil Meena tribal community in Chittorgarh district. Prior to working with PRAYAS, he had served with IIHMR Jaipur, CAPART, Harvard School of Public Health and the Government of Rajasthan. Dr Gupta convened the Ministry of Health Task Group in designing the National Rural Health Mission framework for Panchyati Raj Institution’s role and the Community Action component.Read More...
Dr M Prakasamma
Dr M Prakasamma
Dr M Prakasamma Academy of Nursing Studies Flat No. 215, Amruta Ville Apartments Somajiguda, Rajbhavan Road Opposite Yashoda Hospital Hyderabad – 500 082 (AP) Tel: 040-23411924, 55649195 Email : answers.mytri@gmail.com Dr M Prakasamma has been a teacher, researcher and advocate in public health for the past 31 years. She is currently the Executive Director of Academy for Nursing Studies and Women’s Empowerment Research Studies (ANSWERS). Founded in 1994, ANSWERS – a professional non-profit organization, undertakes research and training related to maternal health, nursing, midwifery, access to health services, quality of health services and human resources for health. She does researchRead More...
Dr Sharad Iyengar
Dr Sharad Iyengar
Dr Sharad Iyengar Chief Executive ARTH, 772, Fatehpura Udaipur – 313004 Rajasthan Tel: 91-294-2980075 Email : chiefexecutive@arth.in Dr Sharad Iyengar heads the Rajasthan based non-profit health organization – ARTH. The organisation works on research, service innovation and training. It provides support to the government on sexual and reproductive health, neonatal and child health, health systems and policy. Trained in Pediatrics and Public Health, Dr Iyengar has worked for the United Nations Population Fund in India, provided technical assistance on quality of contraception, maternal health, safe abortion and neonatal health. Dr Iyengar is a Steering Committee member of CommonHealth – anRead More...
Dr Thelma Narayan
Dr Thelma Narayan
Dr Thelma Narayan Community Health Cell 359, (old No.367) Srinivasa Nilaya Jakkasandra 1 Main 1 Block, Koramangala Bangalore Tel: 080-25525372 Email : thelma@sochara.org Dr Thelma Narayan, is a medical doctor with an M Sc. in Epidemiology and a Doctorate in public health policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London University. She is deeply committed to health and equity and works as a scholar activist. In 1984, she co-initiated the Community Health Cell, a professional resource centre in community health which grew into SOCHARA, and later evolved into SOPHEA-SOCHARA in 2011 under her leadership. Dr Narayan isRead More...
Dr Vijay Aruldas
Dr Vijay Aruldas
Dr Vijay kumar Aruldas Manager, Health Services Medical Superintendents Office Christian Medical College Hospital Vellore – 632004 Tamil Nadu Phone:9811208375 Email : varuldas@gmail.com Dr Vijay Aruldas is a development professional with over 19 years of senior leadership experience in overseeing the implementation of programmes, enhancing capacity of partners, providing strategic leadership, working with the government and advocating for policy change. He has overseen implementation of community projects supported by several international partners including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund for AIDS, TB & Malaria (GFATM), Bread for the World, EED and Christian Aid. He holds an MBBSRead More...
Ms Poonam Muttreja
Ms Poonam Muttreja
Ms Poonam Muttreja Population Foundation of India B-28, Qutab Institutional Area New Delhi – 110 016 Tel: 26856805, 26568181 Email : pmuttreja@populationfoundation.in Ms Poonam Muttreja is the Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India (PFI). She has over 30 years of experience in the socio-development sector. As the India Country Director of MacArthur Foundation, she was responsible for the Foundation’s grants in India which had a focus on population and development. She has worked with UNDP as Advisor to the Country Representative. As the Founder Director of the Ashoka Foundation (India), Dastkar and SRUTI (Society for Rural, Urban andRead More...
Minutes of AGCA Meetings
AGCA Secretariat Team
Mr Bijit Roy
Mr Bijit Roy
Associate Lead – Community Action and Accountability
Dr Smarajit Chakraborty
Dr Smarajit Chakraborty
Senior Specialist – Government Relations and Community Action
Dr Daman Ahuja
Dr Daman Ahuja
Senior Specialist - Community Action and Capacity Development
Ms Seema Upadhyay
Ms Seema Upadhyay
Associate Lead – Community Action and Accountability
Mr Saurabh Raj
Mr Saurabh Raj
Senior Specialist – Community Action and Accountability