Ramesh Veluru

Program Officer

Country Portfolio

Ramesh Veluru is a Program Officer for UPGI’s operations in India dedicated to supporting Graduation work in India. Operating under the guidance of India Country Lead, Ramesh works with a wide set of partners and programs to support Graduation expansion with the Government of India.

Before joining the BRAC, Ramesh was leading the Powering Livelihoods,’ a multi-million dollar initiative to transform India’s rural economy with clean energy solutions at the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water in India. Previously, he worked at the World Bank as a consultant with Agricultural Global Practice of the South Asian Region, extending operational support and guidance to the Government of Bihar in the implementation of rural livelihood projects.

Ramesh joins the team with 9 years of experience working at various government, multilateral donor organizations, and policy think tanks in the spheres of inclusive growth, sustainable livelihoods, farm value chain development, clean energy for rural livelihoods, enterprise promotion, and women’s empowerment. He led the design and implementation of varied large-scale interventions in the rural livelihoods ecosystem. He is a farmer turned into a development professional and hails from Punganur in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh in India.

He graduated from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), United Kingdom with a Masters in Governance, Development, and Public Policy on the prestigious Chevening Scholarship. He also has a Master’s degree in Rural Management from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), India.

Ramesh is a big-time foodie and loves cooking. He specializes in cooking curries and can cook more than 300 varieties of curry dishes. He cherishes everything about traveling, from planning itineraries to enjoying every moment. Camping, trekking, biking, meeting local people, trying authentic foods, and exploring local cultures are on his bucket list.