Asok Kumar G. is a former Indian Administrative Service officer (1991 batch, Telangana cadre) with over three decades of leadership in public policy, large-scale program delivery, and institutional reform across environment, water, infrastructure, and social sectors. As Special Secretary and Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, he led the transformation of Namami Gange into a globally benchmarked river restoration mission — recognised by the United Nations as one of the top 10 “World Eco-Restoration Flagships” for its effectiveness in reversing environmental degradation through science-led planning and community participation. His work combined policy design, regulatory alignment, financing mechanisms, digital monitoring systems, and decentralized governance to move India’s river rejuvenation agenda from fragmented interventions to a coordinated, basin-level public mission.

 

A core strength of Mr. Kumar’s work is the design and operationalisation of durable public institutions and delivery platforms. He conceptualised and established District Ganga Committees, PRAYAG (real-time river data platform), River Basin Management Cells, Ganga Knowledge Centres, the River Cities Alliance, Jalaj Units and Jal Shakti Kendras — building an integrated governance and data architecture for 

water management across more than 700 districts. In parallel, he has driven policy-to-implementation reforms across sanitation, drinking water, urban infrastructure, civil aviation, power distribution, education, and social inclusion — mobilising public finance, CSR, multilateral partnerships, and academic institutions to deliver outcomes at scale. His leadership in initiating basin-level CAMPs for six major rivers, ecological studies with the Wildlife Institute of India, and national programs such as Catch-the-Rain reflects a strong emphasis on evidence-based planning, inter-ministerial coordination, and long-term sustainability.

 

Popularly known as the “Rain Man of India” for initiating the nationwide Catch the Rain campaign, he has worked across water and sanitation, infrastructure, urban planning, civil aviation, power, health, education, and digital governance.  

 

As an Advisor, Mr. Kumar brings rare depth at the intersection of policy, finance, institutions, and execution. He supports governments, foundations, and development partners in designing scalable missions, strengthening public systems, structuring partnerships, and building implementation capacity for climate resilience, water security, urban sustainability, and social development. Currently a Visiting Professor of Practice at IIT Kanpur and a regular faculty at IIM Ahmedabad, he continues to contribute to shaping policy leaders while advising on how philanthropic, multilateral, and public capital can be most effectively deployed to deliver measurable, enduring impact.

 

As an appreciation of his services, there is a 190 acre lake Asok Sagar in Nizamabad District of Telangana and a village Asok Nagar in YSR Kadapa district, of Andhra Pradesh which are named after him!

 

For more details visit - https://asokji.in/