Faculty at School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Vijayasankaran Perumpilavil

Vijayasankaran Perumpilavil

Professor of Practice

School of Humanities and Social Sciences


Contact Information

  • Rural and Agrarian Studies, Water Resources, Groundwater, Food Security and Vulnerability

  • A.(Economics) Calicut University, Calicut, Kerala (1982)
  • Phil in Applied Economics, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum. Dissertation submitted to Jawaharlal Nehru University titled "The Urban Casual Labour Market in Kerala: A Case Study of the Headload Workers" (1987)

35 years in the field of watershed management, rural development, sustainable agriculture and people’s institutions.

  • Project Officer, Samaj Pragati Sahayog, "The Struggle for Survival: Collective Regeneration of the Endangered Resource Base of Tribal Communities in the Narmada Valley", a project funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India (1993-96)
  • Project Co-ordinator, Samaj Pragati Sahayog, "Innovative Schemes of Watershed Development in the Dryland Areas of India" for CAPART, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India (1994-1995).
  • Consultant, Directorate of Institutional Finance, Government of Madhya Pradesh, for the preparation of Madhya Pradesh Tribal Development Project, Bilaspur Division, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD, Rome) (1997)
  • Faculty, Baba Amte Centre for People's Empowerment, one of only 7 such national centres set up and assisted by Government of India for training and field support to agencies implementing watershed projects.
  • Co-Principal Investigator, "Towards Sustainable Livelihood Security in Tribal Drylands Through Watershed Development and Empowerment", Department of Science and Technology, GoI (1999-01)
  • Project Co-ordinator, "TATA-ICRISAT-BAIF-SPS Project for Enhancing Rural Livelihoods in Dryland Areas", with assistance from Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (2002-07). As part of this work, formulated a low-cost, low risk sustainable agricultural package for dryland regions. The programme, which is currently spread over 45 villages.
  • Team Leader, Technical Review of OXFAM funded projects in the arid region of Western Rajasthan (2004)
  • Project Director, Research and Policy Advocacy for Better Watershed Programmes in the NREGA Context, supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA (2009-10)
  • Programme Director, Agriculture, Towards Livelihoods and Food Security in Adivasi Central India, supported by Axis Bank Foundation, Mumbai (India)
  • Member, Steering Committee of Agricultural Water Management (AWM) Solutions Project, covering Sub-Sahara Africa and India implemented jointly by IWMI, FAO, IFPRI, SEI, IDE and BMGF (2009-2012)
  • Project Director, UNDP-AusAid Project titled “Water, Climate Change and Food Security in Droght-Prone Central India” (2011- 2014)
  • Project Director, Comprehensive Pilots Programme titled “Towards Livelihoods and Food Security in Tribal Central India”, supported by the HIVOS-Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Network (2012-15)
  • Consultant, Self-Reliant Initiatives through Joint Action (SRIJAN), New Delhi for Conducting and Supervising Research at the Research Unit of Rapid Community Response to Covid (RCRC) Network (2022-)

  • Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Advanced Study of India (CASI), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (1st February to 4th March 2011)
  • Adjunct Faculty, Centre for Public Affairs and Critical Theory (C-PACT), School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi (2017-22)
  • Professor of Practice, Rural Management Programme, School of Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi (2023-)

  • Member, Steering Committee of Integrated Watershed Management Programme, Government of India (2009-12)
  • Member, Working Group on Planning and Execution of MGNREGA, Central Employment Guarantee Council, Government of India (2011)
  • Member, Working Group on Sustainable Groundwater Management, set up by the Planning Commission for the 12th Five Year Plan, (2011)
  • Member, Working Group on Rainfed Farming and Natural Resource Management, set up by the Planning Commission for the 12th Five Year Plan, (2011)
  • Founder Member, Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (RRAN) (served as part of RRAN’s Core Group (2013-16)
  • Member, the Team of Experts for curriculum development of the two-year Masters programme on Water Science and Policy (WSP) at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi (2017-18)
  • Member, the Group of Experts for Formulation of Water Strategy for Government of Madhya Pradesh (2019-20)
  • Member, Council of Advisors, The India Forum: A Journal Magazine on Contemporary Issues. (2019-)
  • Member, Research Committee of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics (2020-21)
  • Member, the Team of Experts for curriculum development of the two-year Masters programme on Rural Management (RM) at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi (2019-22)

 

  1. Mihir Shah, D. Banerji, P.S. Vijayshankar and Pramathesh Ambasta. 1998. India's Drylands: Tribal Societies and Development through Environmental Regeneration, Oxford University Press
  2. Banerjee, Nivedita, PS Vijayshankar, Rangu Rao, Mihir Shah, Pramathesh Ambasta and Jyotsna Jain. 2006. Watershed Works Manual, Baba Amte Centre for People’s Empowerment, Samaj Pragati Sahayog, Neemkheda (Bagli)
  3. Himanshu Kulkarni and P.S. Vijayshankar and S. Krishnan. 2009. Synopsis of Groundwater Resources in India: status, challenges and a new framework for responses, Report submitted to the Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi.
  4. Mihir Shah and PS Vijayshankar (Eds.). 2016. Water: Growing Understanding, Emerging Perspectives, Orient Blackswan, New Delhi and Hyderabad
  5. Richa Kumar, Nikhit Aggarwal, PS Vijayshankar and AR Vasavi. The State of Rural and Agrarian India Report 2020, Notion Press, Chennai.
  6. Mihir Shah and PS Vijayshankar (eds.). 2022. Tribal Development Report: Livelihoods, Human Development and Governance, (2 Vols.) Routledge and CRC Press, New Delhi
  7. Basole, Amit et.al. 2022. Employment Guarantee during Covid 19: The Role of MGNREGA, Survey Report prepared by the Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.

BOOK CHAPTERS

  1. Mihir Shah & P.S. Vijayshankar. 1998. “Water and Sustainable Livelihoods”, chapter in the First Madhya Pradesh Human Development Report 1998
  2. Mihir Shah and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2002. “Land Reforms in Madhya Pradesh: Redefining the Agenda”, in Praveen Jha (ed.), Land Reforms in India: Issues of Equity in Rural Madhya Pradesh, New Delhi.
  3. Mihir Shah and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2006. “Watershed Reforms in India”, in R. Parthsarathy and S. Iyengar (Eds): New Development Paradigms and Challenges for Western and Central India (2 vols), Concept, New Delhi.
  4. S. Vijayshankar and Mihir Shah. 2012. “Rethinking Reforms: A New Vision for the Social Sector in India”, in R. Nagaraj (Ed.) Growth, Inequality and Social Development in India: Is Inclusive Growth Possible? Palgrave Macmillan, New York, USA.
  5. S. Vijayshankar. 2015.“Science and Technology in Agricultural Development: Need for a New Paradigm”, in Rajeswari S. Raina (Ed.), Science, Technology and Development in India: Encountering Values, Orient Blackswan, Hyderabad.
  6. Surinder Jodhka and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2015. “Rural Development: Emerging Regional Perspectives”, in India Rural Development Report 2014, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt of India, New Delhi.
  7. Himanshu Kulkarni and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2015. “India‟s Groundwater Typology: Relevance for Rural Development”, in India Rural Development Report 2014, Chapter 2, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt of India, New Delhi.
  8. S. Vijayshankar. 2017. “India’s Agricultural Development: A Regional Perspective”, in R Nagaraj and Sripad Motiram (Eds.), Political Economy of Contemporary India, Cambridge University Press, New Delhi.
  9. Mihir Shah and PS Vijayshankar, 2016. “Introduction” in Mihir Shah and PS Vijayshankar (Eds.), Water: Growing Understanding, Emerging Perspectives, Orient Blackswan, New Delhi and Hyderabad.
  10. S. Vijayshankar and Himanshu Kulkarni. 2018. “Out of Balance: Agricultural Growth and Groundwater Depletion in Two Backward States of India”, in KJ Joy and S. Janakarajan (Eds), India's Water Futures: Emergent Ideas and Pathways, Routledge India.
  11. S. Vijayshankar. 2020. “Rebuilding the Rural Economy after COVID-19: The Role of MGNREGA” in Sunil Mani et.al. The Stimulus Package in Five Instalments: Does it Make the Economy more Self-Reliant, Commentary on India’s Economy and Society Series, No. 15, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
  12. Mihir Shah and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2021. ‘Symbiosis of Water and Agricultural Transformation in India”, in R. Chand, Pramod Joshi and Shyam Khadka (Eds.) 2021. Indian Agriculture Towards 2030: Pathways for Enhancing Farmers’ Income, Nutritional Security and Sustainable Food and Farm Systems, FAO-NITI Ayog India Studies in Business and Economics, Springer, New Delhi
  13. S. Vijayshankar. 2022. “Tribal Agriculture: Context and Challenges” in Mihir Shah and PS Vijayshankar (Eds.), Tribal Development Report: Livelihoods, Routledge, New Delhi.
  14. Siddharth Patil, Neha Bhave, Himanshu Kulkarni and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2022. “Managing Groundwater Across the Diverse Central Indian Drylands: The Need for a Nuanced Approach” in Mihir Shah and PS Vijayshankar (Eds.), Tribal Development Report: Livelihoods, Routledge, New Delhi

  1. S. Vijayshankar and Mihir Shah.1997. "Water Crisis in Dewas: Is Rainfall the Culprit?", Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XXXII, No. 24, June 14
  2. Kulkarni, P.S. Vijayshankar, S. B. Deolankar and Mihir Shah. 2004. “Groundwater Demand Management at Local Scale in Rural Areas of India: A Strategy to ensure Water Well Sustainability based on Aquifer Diffusivity and Community Participation”, Hydrogeology Journal (Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg; official journal of the International Association of Hydrogeologists).
  3. S. Vijayshankar. 2005. “Four Decades of Agricultural Development in Madhya Pradesh: An Agro-Ecological Regions Approach,” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XL, No. 46, November.
  4. S. Vijayshankar. 2006. “Unlocking the Hidden Potential of Dryland Agriculture”, Seminar No. 564.
  5. Incidence of Repeated Deaths Due to Malnutrition in Sheopur District, Madhya Pradesh. Report submitted to the Commissioner, Supreme Court of India.
  6. S. Vijayshankar, Rangu Rao, Nivedita Banerji and Mihir Shah. 2006. “Government Schedule of Rates‟: Working Against Rural Labour”, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLI, No. 17, April 29.
  7. Mihir Shah, Rango Rao and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2007. “Rural Credit in 20th Century India: Overview of History and Perspectives” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLII, No.15, April 14.
  8. Pramathesh Ambasta, P.S. Vijayshankar and Mihir Shah. 2008. “Two Years of NREGA: The Road Ahead”, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLIII, No. 7, February 23.
  9. S. Vijayshankar. 2008. “Employment Policy, Growth and Emerging Opportunities: The Case of NREGA”, paper presented at the International Conference on Employment Opportunities and Public Employment Policy in Globalising India, organised by Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, April 3.
  10. Himanshu Kulkarni and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2009. “Groundwater: Towards an Aquifer Management Framework”, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLIV, No. , February.
  11. S. Vijayshankar, Himanshu Kulkarni and S. Krishnan. 2011. “India‟s Groundwater Challenge and the Way Forward”, Economic and Political Weekly, January, 2011.
  12. Himanshu Kulkarni and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2011. “Sustainable Groundwater Management: Challenges for the 21st Century”, Proceedings of the International Conference on Dynamics of Rural Transformation in Emerging Economies, Planning Commission and Institute of Human Development, New Delhi.
  13. Himanshu Kulkarni and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2011. “Groundwater Knowledge Systems in India: Need for a Fresh Look”, Working Paper SIID, 08/2009, Collaborative Research Project on Systems of Innovation for Inclusive Development – Lessons from Rural China and India, Supported by IDRC, Canada.
  14. Himanshu Kulkarni and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2011. “Groundwater Governance: Backing CPR Principles with a Process-based Approach”, International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC-2011), Digital Library of the Commons, Indiana University, USA,
  15. S. Vijayshankar. 2011.“India‟s Groundwater Challenge”, India in Transition, Centre for Advanced Study of India (CASI), University of Pennsylvania, USA. 28 February
  16. S. Vijayshankar. 2011.“Towards a Paradigm Shift in India‟s Rainfed Agriculture”, Innovation and Development, Vol.1, No. 2, October 201, pp.321-322.
  17. S. Vijayshankar. 2012. “Reframing the Fluid Mosaic: Changing Perspectives on Management of Water in Rainfed Agriculture”, Keynote Address delivered in the Workshop on “Rainfed Production under Growing Rain Variability: Closing the Yield Gap”, on 29th September at Stockholm World Water Week 2012, Stockholm, Sweden.
  18. S. Vijayshankar and Mekhala Krishnamurthy. 2012. “Understanding Agricultural Commodity Markets”, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol.XLVII, No. 52, December 29
  19. Himanshu Kulkarni & P.S. Vijayshankar. 2014. “Groundwater Resources in India: an arena for diverse competition”, Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability, 19:9, 990-1011.
  20. S. Vijayshankar. 2014. “India’s Agricultural Development: A Regional Perspective”, paper presented at the International Conference on the Political Economy of Contemporary India, held at Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai, November 20-21.
  21. Himanshu Kulkarni, P.S. Vijayshankar and Mihir Shah. 2015. “Shaping the Contours of Groundwater Governance in India”, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies.
  22. S. Vijayshankar and Mihir Shah. 2016. “Introduction” in Mihir Shah and PS Vijayshankar (Eds.) Water: Growing Understanding, Emerging Perspectives, Orient Blackswan, New Delhi and Hyderabad.
  23. S. Vijayshankar. 2016a. “Regional Inequality: A Long View”, Seminar No. 682.
  24. S. Vijayshankar. 2016b. “All Is Not Lost, But Water Sector Reforms Must Go Ahead”, Economic and Political Weekly, 51:52, December 24.
  25. S. Vijayshankar. 2018. “Enhancing Farm Incomes through Building Resilience: Opportunities and Challenges”, paper presented at the 78th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, New Delhi, November 2018
  26. S. Vijayshankar. 2019a. “Sustainable Management of Water: An Ecosystem Perspective”, Inaugural Lecture at the International Conference on Sustainable Management of Water Resources in India, Department of Economics, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, February 22-23.
  27. S. Vijayshankar. 2019b. “Water, Watersheds and Waste: Re-conceptualizing the Political Economy of Development”, paper presented at the Conference on Water-Waste Cognition and Action, sponsored by the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi and Centre for Public Affairs and Critical Theory (C-PACT), Shiv Nadar University, 26 -27 May 2019
  28. S. Vijayshankar. 2019c. “Future of Work in Agriculture”, paper written for the ILO-SEWA Project on Future of Work in India, International Labour Organisation, Geneva.
  29. S. Vijayshankar. 2019d. “Tribal Agriculture”, paper presented at the National Conference on Alternative Rural Policies, Network of Rural and Agrarian Studies, IIT-Delhi.
  30. S. Vijayshankar. 2020. “Groundwater Governance: Issues and Challenges”, paper presented at the National Conference on Groundwater and Communities, organised by Advanced Center for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM), Pune
  31. PS Vijayshankar. 2021. “Role of the State in Guaranteeing Right to Food: The Case of India”, in Crashing Barriers for a Post Covid-19 Food and Agricultural Systems, The Agrarian Politics Working Group of the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS), Berlin-New Delhi.
  32. Mihir Shah and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2021. ‘Water in Agriculture”, Theme Paper presented at the NITI Ayog-FAO-MoA online conference, National Dialogue on Indian Agriculture Towards 2030, January 19-22
  33. Mihir Shah and P.S. Vijayshankar. 2021. “Water and Agricultural Transformation in India: A Symbiotic Relationship” (in 2 parts), Economic and Political Weekly, 56, Nos.29-30, 17-24th July.
  34. PS Vijayshankar. 2021. “Water Management Priorities in a Post Covid World” in Arash Fazli and Amitabh Kundu (Eds). 2023. Reimagining Prosperity: Social and Economic Development in Post-COVID India, Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Many invited talks, lectures and presentations on themes related to water resources, natural resource management, food security, sustainable agriculture and people’s empowerment.

  • Co-Founder, Samaj Pragati Sahayog (SPS), a civil society organisation based in the tribal heartland of Central India working on issues related to natural resource management, watershed management, sustainable livelihoods and women’s empowerment (1990). 
  • Co-Founder and Director, Nature Positive Farming and Wholesome Foods Foundation (N+3F), Bengaluru, a not-for-profit company focused on scaling up sustainable and no-pesticide management agriculture. (2021)

  • Many presentations with keynote talks at national and international gatherings including a keynote address for Stockholm World Water Week, national conferences held by FAO-NITI Ayog, Department of Science and Technology, GoI, Ministry of Rural Development, GoI and different state governments

  • Mostly through invitations to contribute to books, articles and as part of curriculum development (as member Advisory Committees, Technical Groups etc) at leading academic institutions. Supervised students’ dissertations at Masters level

  • For publications including Economic and Political Weekly (Editor for Review of Rural Affairs), Seminar, The India Forum etc

  • Conducted and participated in a variety of workshops throughout the last three decades as moderator, discussant, panellist, lead anchor etc.