Ajayakumar Varma new member-secretary of KSCSTE

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE)  now has a new member-secretary - Dr. R Ajayakumar Varma, who is currently the executive director of Suchitwa Mission, on deputation from Centre for Earth Science Studies, where he is a scientist.

Ajayakumar Varma has 28 years of experience in consultancy, extension and administrative experience in S&T application for environmental management, watershed development, sanitation, groundwater studies, geophysical exploration and is a certified auditor of Environmental Management System.

Varma has served as environmental specialist in projects funded by international agencies such as the World Bank, UNEP, WSP-SA, Netherlands Embassy etc. Dr. Varma has implemented around 50 consultancy and R&D projects as team leader sponsored by international, national and state agencies, mostly on Natural Resource Management (NRM), Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Geophysical Exploration.

He has headed the Environmental Sciences Division of the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram, since 1999 during which CESS functioned as a resource institute, both to Central and State Governments. Since 1990, Varma has been a resource person and often consultant for the Government of Kerala in participatory resource mapping, land & water management, watershed-based planning & development, sanitation and environmental impact assessment.

Varma has been the coordinator for National Support Centre on Watershed-based Development & Planning, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Centre, New Delhi.  He also serves in various committees of State and Central Governments on water, sanitation and environment aspects.