Brajesha Sharma

Founder & CEO Gram Sansad

Journey
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In a world where many chase urban dreams, Brajesha Sharma chose a different path—a return to the roots, where the real heart of India beats: its villages. His journey is one of conviction, courage, and clarity, marked by a transformative decision to trade a conventional engineering career for a mission-driven life centered on rural empowerment. Today, as the Founder and CEO of Gram Sansad, Brajesha stands at the forefront of a movement to reimagine rural governance, making panchayats not just administrative units but engines of local prosperity and sustainability.

Born and raised in Bihar—a state often discussed in the context of development challenges—Brajesha's early life exposed him to the deep gaps that existed between policy promises and rural realities. Despite qualifying as an engineer, his heart remained connected to the soil that nurtured him. It wasn’t long before he decided to pivot from engineering tools to social blueprints—designing solutions for those who often remain voiceless in the corridors of policymaking.

Brajesha founded Gram Sansad as a flagship initiative under the Random Variable Foundation, with the goal of creating a cutting-edge knowledge and action platform for rural transformation. What sets Gram Sansad apart is its unique philosophy of merging indigenous wisdom with scientific insight, ensuring that rural communities are not just consulted but co-creators of their own development journeys.

At the core of Brajesha’s mission is the belief that true development begins at the grassroots—with villages that think, decide, and act independently. His larger vision is both bold and deeply rooted in democratic values: building a National Executive Body of Gram Sansad, mirrored by state and district-level bodies that coordinate, innovate, and advocate for localized sustainable development goals (LSDGs).

His idea of panchayat empowerment isn't just administrative reform—it’s about transforming panchayats into economically self-reliant institutions, capable of generating Own Source Revenue (OSR) and steering their own growth, with accountability and dignity. Through this model, Gram Sansad actively promotes self-development frameworks, where villages set their priorities, plan their strategies, and implement them with institutional support.

Under his leadership, Gram Sansad has gone beyond rhetoric to achieve tangible impact across more than 2200 panchayats in five states—Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. Through capacity building, policy engagement, and innovative grassroots interventions like Bazar Sampark and Linkages & Nirman, the platform has connected rural governance with wider developmental ecosystems including markets, ministries, civil society, and academia.

A key contribution of Brajesha’s work has been the mainstreaming of the nine LSDG themes in local planning processes, ensuring that India's commitment to the global SDGs finds real traction in rural gram sabhas. His campaigns have empowered thousands of women collectives, public representatives, and village influencers, creating a pipeline of local leaders who champion development not from above but from within the communities.

Through evidence-based planning methods, Brajesha has successfully bridged the often-daunting gap between policy formulation and rural execution. Gram Sansad’s model has emerged as a living laboratory for rural development, where plans are made with people—not just for them.

What makes Brajesha’s journey especially remarkable is his ability to earn trust across sectors. From the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India, to state governments of Bihar, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, he has built strong alliances with policymakers who now view Gram Sansad as a credible rural innovation partner.

Brajesha Sharma, Founder & CEO of Gram Sansad, is a visionary leader dedicated to empowering panchayats and transforming rural India through sustainable, localized development. An engineering graduate turned social entrepreneur, he leads Gram Sansad, which has empowered over 2,200 panchayats across five states by building capacity, fostering market linkages, and promoting evidence-based governance. His vision focuses on creating economically independent panchayats with Own Source Revenue and integrating Localized Sustainable Development Goals. Recognized by the Vice President of India and other leaders, Brajesha’s work bridges indigenous knowledge with scientific solutions to drive grassroots change and build resilient rural communities nationwide.

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