Meghalaya Mirrors (Public Policy in India)

Meghalaya Mirrors offers an insightful exploration of innovative, community-led initiatives that are shaping environmental conservation, biodiversity preservation, and socio-economic development in Meghalaya, India.

Between the state’s rich natural heritage and pressing environmental challenges such as deforestation, mining, and climate change, this book emphasizes the vital role of communities in protecting their resources and promoting sustainable development. Through case studies, grassroots perspectives, and examples of indigenous knowledge systems, the book showcases the resilience and creativity of local communities.

Part of the Innovations, Practice and the Future of Public Policy in India series, this open access volume will be an essential resource for policymakers, researchers, development practitioners, and stakeholders committed to understanding and advancing community-driven environmental action in ecologically sensitive regions. It will also be of interest to researchers working on climate change, climate action, social sciences, environmental science, geography and South Asia studies.

Anjal Prakash is Professor - Public Policy at Flame University, Pune, India. Earlier he was the Clinical Associate Professor (Research) and Research Director at the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, ISB. With over 25 years of experience in water, climate, and policy research across South Asia, he has served as Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC’s Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere and contributed to the IPCC AR6. He specialises in urban resilience, gender, and social inclusion, and has authored numerous publications, including a number of edited books.

Sampath Kumar, IAS, serves as Development Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Government of Meghalaya. With 26 years of public administration experience, he pioneered the State Capability Enhancement Project (SCEP), promoting adaptive governance, convergence, and data-driven decisionmaking. Under his leadership, Meghalaya achieved a significant reduction in acute malnutrition and institutionalised its Early Childhood Development Mission. A Harvard Kennedy School alumnus, he continues to champion systemic governance reforms rooted in community participation and iterative learning.

Gunanka D. B., an Indian Forest Service officer, is the Additional Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya. With over 16 years spanning corporate IT and public administration, he works across institutional reform, natural resource management, and data-driven governance. He has led major externally aided projects financed by the World Bank, JICA, KfW, and ADB, strengthened geospatial systems, and advanced community-led conservation models. His work blends systems thinking with grounded implementation, contributing to applied research and policy innovation in ecologically sensitive regions. Currently, he is on study leave to pursue an MPA-DP at SIPA, Columbia University, through the Fulbright-Nehru Scholarship and Columbia Dean’s Distinguished Scholarship.