Prof. Madan Kumar Jha

Chairman

Professor Madan Kumar Jha, Head of the Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering is a renowned authority in the field of Land and Water Resources Engineering. He has achieved great progress in sustainable water resource management with a strong focus on artificial recharge and water harvesting, GW management using RS, GIS, and Multicriteria Decision Analysis, field research, and seawater intrusion research. Prof. Jha's extensive expertise includes efficient groundwater and surface water resource management. He investigates novel approaches to maximize agricultural operations using Decision Support System (DSS) and user-friendly professional software. Prominent in the agricultural community, Prof. Jha's invaluable knowledge and commitment will continue to inspire and change the face of agriculture in the future.

Prof. Rintu Banerjee

Member

At the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Prof. Banerjee, the professor of the Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, has carved a distinctive path in Biomass Deconstruction, Biofuel Production, and Enzyme Technology. Her pioneering work has led to the grant of 8 Indian and 3 International (US, Japanese, and Chinese) patents. With over 150 publications in peer-reviewed national/international journals, she has mentored numerous Ph.D., MS, MTech, and Btech students. Rintu Banerjee's contributions extend to being an Editorial Member of several journals and an author of 24 book chapters, including her book on "Environmental Biotechnology," published by Oxford University Press. Recognized for her excellence, she has received accolades from both government and non-government organizations. Prof. Banerjee's visionary leadership has led to the successful incubation of numerous agri-business ventures, harnessing cutting-edge research and technology.

Prof. D K Swain

Member

Prof. D K Swain is a distinguished expert with a profound knowledge of Sustainable Production Agriculture, Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation, Crop Modeling and Simulation, and Organic Farming & Crop Quality. His research endeavors are primarily directed towards addressing the pressing issues of climate change and variability, as well as ensuring food security. Moreover, he actively promote the adoption of Organic Farming practices to foster sustainable agricultural growth and the production of superior-quality food. Prof. Swain holds a significant role as a crucial member of the PMRC.

Prof. Peeyush Soni

Member

Professor Peeyush Soni, Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, is a distinguished expert in the field of Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization. With a keen focus on Soil Tillage and Traction Research, he has made significant strides in advancing Precision Agriculture. Prof. Soni's vast knowledge encompasses the effective Management of Mechanized Agriculture, where he explores innovative solutions for optimizing agricultural operations through Automation. As a prominent figure in the agricultural community, Prof. Peeyush Soni continues to inspire and transform the future of agriculture through his valuable expertise and dedication.

Prof. Rajendra Machavaram

Member

Prof. Rajendra Machavaram is a distinguished authority in the domains of Evolutionary Algorithms, Machine Design, Precision Agriculture, AI, ML, and Cognitive Science. He specializes in the development, prototyping, and evaluation of agricultural machinery and equipment used in different stages of crop cultivation, such as field preparation, sowing, transplanting, weeding, spraying, harvesting, and threshing for various crops. Prof. Machavaram holds a significant role as a crucial member of the PMRC.

Mr. Shubhankar Mahanta

Member

Sri. Subhankar Mahata, PMRC Member, ABIF IIT Kharagpur is presently working as the Lead District Manager of Paschim Medinipur District with an academic foundation including B. Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from Govt. college of engineering & leather Technology, Salt lake. He embarked on his journey as a Probationary Officer with e-United Bank of India now Punjab National Bank in the year 2013. Notably he served in different branches through-out the country, administrative offices, different Verticals of banking. As a LDM he is mainly looking after implementation of Lead Bank Scheme of RBI beside that he is also monitoring implementation of District Annual credit plan & priority sector advances.

Mr. Akash Kumar Sharma

Member

Shri Akash Kumar Sharma joined the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in 2016 and has nearly 8 years of experience in rural development banking in Telangana and West Bengal. He has handled multiple portfolios such as infrastructure financing, appraisal and monitoring, farm sector development, climate change etc. He is currently posted as District Development Manager (DDM) of Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram Districts. Prior to joining NABARD, he has also served in SBI and PNB for about 02 years. Academically, he obtained his Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Odisha. He is also a certified associate of the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance.