Our Core Team

Ranjeeta Kashyap is working as a Counsellor with Pradeepan in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. She is a committed social work professional with a strong focus on women and child rights protection. Ranjeeta holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and has several years of experience in community-based social development work. She has been working with Pradeepan for the past three years, providing counselling support and facilitating access to protection and justice systems for vulnerable women and children.

• * Prevention of Child Marriage.
• * Elimination of Child Labour.
• * Combating Human Trafficking.
• * Protection against Child Sexual Abuse.
• * Child Rights Protection.
• * Women’s Rights and Safety.
• * Supporting access to legal aid and justice systems for survivors.
• * Providing psychosocial counselling to women and children in distress.

Through her work with Pradeepan, Ranjeeta has played an important role in community awareness building, survivor support, and coordination with local institutions and protection mechanisms. Her dedication, empathetic approach, and strong community engagement make her an important member of the core team of Pradeepan.

Charulata Verma is working as a Cluster Coordinator with Pradeepan, contributing actively to social development initiatives with a focus on child protection, women’s empowerment, and community-based development. She holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) and Master of Commerce (M. Com) from Barkatullah University, Bhopal. She has also completed PGDCA (Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications), which supports her administrative and documentation skills. Before joining the social development sector, Charulata worked as a teacher in a private school for about one year while continuing her studies. This early experience strengthened her interest in working with children and communities. She has over a decade of experience in social development, particularly in programs related to child protection and community empowerment. She has worked with different organizations on issues concerning the rights and well-being of women and children. Her work focuses on several critical areas, including:

• * Child Rights Protection.
• * Prevention of Child Marriage.
• * Elimination of Child Labour.
• * Combating Human Trafficking.
• * Protection against Child Sexual Abuse.
• * Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Development.
• * Community Awareness and Mobilization.
• * Linking vulnerable children with education and protection services.

As a Cluster Coordinator at Pradeepan, she plays a key role in coordinating field teams, facilitating community-based programs, and organizing training and awareness activities. Her dedication, leadership skills, and strong engagement with communities make her an important member of the core team at Pradeepan.

Deepmala Khatarkar is an experienced social worker and counsellor with more than a decade of dedicated work in the field of social justice, women’s rights, and child protection. She has been closely associated with Pradeepan for many years and has played a significant role in promoting access to justice and safeguarding the rights of women, children, and marginalized communities, especially Dalit and backward communities.

• * Master of Social Work (MSW).
• * Master of Arts (Economics).
• * Bachelor of Arts (BA).
• * Bachelor of Arts (BA).

• * More than 10 years of work experience with Pradeepan.
• * Worked under the DFID-supported PACS Programme on women’s health, nutrition, Dalit rights, and prevention of domestic violence.
• * Actively involved in the CHILDLINE project (2016–2023), focusing on Dalit children’s rights, adolescent health, and child safety.
• * Currently working as a Counsellor under the “Access to Justice – Phase 2” Project, providing counselling and legal support to children from Dalit and backward communities.
• * Extensive experience in prevention of violence against women and girls, legal counselling, rights-based awareness, and leadership development.

Honoured by the Police Department and the Department of Women and Child Development for outstanding contributions to the protection of Dalit, women’s, and children’s rights and for combating violence against women and girls.

• * Our Law – Our Authority, MARG, New Delhi.
• * National Research Study on Human Trafficking in India, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.
• * Child Protection Training, Department of Women and Child Development, Betul.

• Bhumi Fellow (2023–24) under Women Fund Asia, providing leadership in Betul district on gender equality, protection of Dalit and women’s rights, legal aid, and community-level legal awareness Deepmala Khatarkar’s strong grassroots experience, commitment, and empathetic approach make her a valuable and trusted core team member of Pradeepan.

Poonam Atulkar is working as a Cluster Coordinator with Pradeepan and has been actively involved in social development and child protection initiatives for the past four years. She plays an important role in promoting child rights protection, women’s rights, and access to justice for vulnerable communities. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree and has experience in community-based interventions, awareness programs, and linking vulnerable women and children with support and protection services. Poonam has also worked with the CHILDLINE Project (2022–2023), where she supported emergency outreach and assistance for children in distress and coordinated with different stakeholders for child protection services.

• • Prevention of Child Marriage.
• • Elimination of Child Labour.
• • Combating Human Trafficking.
• • Protection against Child Sexual Abuse.
• • Child Rights Protection.
• • Women’s Rights and Empowerment.
• • Facilitating access to legal aid and justice mechanisms for survivors.
• • Organizing community awareness and capacity-building programs.

As a Cluster Coordinator, she plays a key role in coordinating field teams, facilitating community meetings, organizing trainings, and implementing programs related to child and women’s rights. Her commitment, empathy, and strong engagement with communities make her a valuable member of Pradeepan’s core team.

Kunwar Lal Iwane is a highly experienced and dedicated Field Coordinator at Pradeepan, with over two decades of grassroots experience in social and rural development. After serving in the Indian Army, he joined Pradeepan in 2000, driven by a strong commitment to community service and rural development. He began his journey with the “Child Environment, Sanitation and Water Supply Project”, working to promote hygiene awareness, water management, and community participation in rural areas. Later, he worked for nearly five years as a Cluster Coordinator under the Swashakti Project, where he contributed significantly to women’s empowerment and the formation and strengthening of women’s self-help groups. Kunwar Lal also served as a Project Coordinator under the “Women Package Project” supported by CASA, where he worked extensively in Bhimpur block to support the empowerment of poor tribal communities. His work included strengthening Gram Sabhas, formation of community-based organizations (CBOs), promotion of women’s groups, livelihood development, and awareness on the Forest Rights Act (FRA). He has also contributed to groundwater conservation, environmental protection, linking children to education, and facilitating community access to various government welfare schemes. Under the PHF Project, he worked for two years as a Project Coordinator, focusing on improving tribal livelihoods and connecting tribal communities with MGNREGA and the Forest Rights Act (FRA). He also played an important role in implementing the first phase of the PACS Project. Kunwar Lal’s strengths lie in his deep grassroots understanding and strong community engagement. He has expertise in community mobilization, photography, documentation, watershed development, organic farming, FRA awareness, and formation of village-level community institutions. Currently, as a Field Coordinator with Pradeepan, he continues to support tribal communities in strengthening their livelihoods, promoting environmental conservation, assisting in individual and community FRA claims, and linking communities with government schemes. He also works actively on issues related to children’s education, health, and protection. Although his formal education is up to the secondary level (Matriculation), his practical knowledge, field experience, and understanding of social development issues are equivalent to that of highly qualified social professionals. His dedication and long-standing commitment make him a valuable and trusted member of Pradeepan’s core team. ----///---

Jangal Singh Parte serves as a Project Coordinator at Pradeepan, where he works closely with tribal communities on issues related to community rights, natural resource management, and sustainable rural development. He holds a Master of Social Work (MSW), Master’s Degree in Sociology, and a Bachelor of Arts. His academic background combined with extensive grassroots engagement enables him to effectively work with rural and tribal communities. Jangal Singh has significant experience in areas related to tribal rights, environmental protection, and sustainable livelihoods.

• • Implementation and awareness of the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act.
• • Supporting Forest Rights Act (FRA) processes, including individual and community forest rights claims.
• • Watershed and natural resource management.
• • Environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.
• • Promotion of organic agriculture and conservation of traditional seeds, particularly millets.
• • Community education and awareness campaigns.
• • Strengthening community institutions and local leadership

His ability to communicate in Hindi as well as tribal languages such as Gondi and Korku enables him to engage effectively with tribal communities and strengthen community participation in development processes. Jangal Singh Parte’s strong grassroots experience, commitment to tribal rights, and dedication to sustainable development make him a valuable member of Pradeepan’s core team.

Manoj Kumar is an experienced development professional and social worker with more than 25 years of grassroots experience working with rural and tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh. He currently serves as Senior Coordinator – cum Assistant Director at Pradeepan, where he plays a key role in strategic program management, project coordination, and strengthening institutional systems of the organization. Over the years, Manoj has been actively involved in promoting tribal rights, gender justice, child protection, food security, sustainable livelihoods, and community empowerment. His work focuses on strengthening community-based institutions, promoting women’s leadership, and enabling marginalized communities to access their legal rights and government welfare schemes. He has also contributed significantly to initiatives related to climate justice and environmental sustainability, including community-led water conservation, natural resource management, promotion of organic farming, and climate-resilient livelihood practices in tribal regions. In addition to field leadership, Manoj plays an important role in institutional development and sustainability of the organization. He contributes to fundraising efforts, proposal development, project planning, monitoring and reporting, donor coordination, documentation, and social media communication. His ability to combine grassroots engagement with organizational management has strengthened Pradeepan’s capacity to implement impactful development programs. With strong community engagement skills and a deep understanding of development challenges, Manoj believes that sustainable and just development can only be achieved when communities themselves become active leaders of change.

Kamlesh Taywade is a member of the Core Team at Pradeepan and serves as the organization’s Accountant. He brings nearly seven years of experience in financial management and project accounting within the social development sector. In his role, Kamlesh plays a key part in ensuring strong financial systems, transparency, and accountability across the organization’s programs. At Pradeepan, Kamlesh is responsible for project accounting, budget monitoring, financial documentation, and supporting financial reporting in line with donor compliance requirements. He manages financial records using accounting tools such as Tally ERP and MS Office, and supports the preparation of financial statements, audits, and donor reports. His work contributes significantly to maintaining efficient financial management practices within the organization. Kamlesh has experience working with projects supported by several national and international donors and partners. He has previously worked on projects supported by CASA, The/Nudge Foundation, WFA, and Childline India Foundation (CIF). Currently, he manages financial operations for projects supported by KSCF (USA), AJWS (New York), Azim Premji Foundation, and Suzlon Foundation. He also regularly participates in donor-led financial trainings and annual evaluation processes to strengthen institutional financial compliance and capacity. Kamlesh holds a Master’s degree in Commerce (M.Com) and a Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) from Devi Ahilya University, Indore. He has also completed a Diploma in Computer Applications (DCA) and is skilled in accounting software and digital financial management tools. Through his dedication, positive approach, and strong attention to detail, Kamlesh contributes to strengthening Pradeepan’s financial systems and supporting the organization’s mission of working with marginalized and tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh.