Poonam Muttreja Husband, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India
Physical Stats
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Award(s)	• Rotary Award for innovative work on livelihood creation (1995) • Hewlett Foundation Fellowship for Peace and Global Studies (1992) • Kennedy School of Government Award from Harvard University for creating international understanding on issues of environment and development (1992) • Mason Fellow, Harvard University, Cambridge (1992)
Personal Life
Birthplace	New Delhi, India
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	New Delhi, India
College/University	• Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts • University of Delhi, India • Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
Educational Qualification(s)	• Graduation in Psychology from the University of Delhi (1977) • Postgraduation in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (1991) • Executive Program (Ethics in Health Research) from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (1999) • Executive Program (Cutting Edge Leadership: Refreshing Skills and Capacities) from Harvard University (2001) • Executive Program (The Art and Practice of Leadership Education) from Harvard University (2002)
Religion	Hinduism
Social Media	• Twitter • LinkedIn
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Husband/Spouse	A. K. Shiva Kumar (a development economist, policy advisor, evaluator)
Children	2
Siblings	Brother- 1

Some Lesser Known Facts About Poonam Muttreja

• When Poonam Muttreja was 18 years old, she once visited Zamrudpur, near Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi, as a student and NSS volunteer.

• There, she saw that leather artisans were making bags for just Rs. 5 each, and she felt surprised that their skills were not valued, and they were paid very low.

• She then started visiting more often to learn about their lives. According to her, being Dalits, they faced untouchability, which added more problems in their lives.

• She once narrated more memories related to this event during a media conversation. She said,

  This was in the early 70s. I began working in one such leather factory to learn how to cut patterns and understand all about leather. I even visited the Central Leather Research Institute in Chennai to understand the way the material and industry worked.”

• She then started buying leather and teaching new patterns and designs for the bags to these artisans. She then met Fabindia’s founder, John Bissell, to get cheap fabric.

• John introduced her to Aruna Roy, who co-founded Barefoot College in Tilonia, Rajasthan.

• She then started working with Aruna Roy, who taught her about rural needs and grassroots work.

• She received new ideas about cooperatives and started working again with the leather artisans.

  

  An old picture of Poonam Muttreja

• She took the help of BB Bhasin, who is known for the Gujarat State Handicrafts Corporation (GURJARI) and Cottage Industries Emporiums.

• LC Jain, a Gandhian economist, Planning Commission member, and High Commissioner to South Africa, also joined her.

• In 1977, together, they organised a craft bazaar at Triveni Kala Sangam, which later changed into Dastkar, a name suggested by LC Jain to honour craftspersons.

• In 1997, she started working as an Executive Director at Ashoka Foundation in New Delhi, India. She served in the position till 1981. The foundation specifically works in women’s health.
  

  Poonam Muttreja while delivering a lecture at Ashoka University

• In 1981, she co-founded Dastkar, an Indian non-government organisation (NGO) working with craftspeople across India in New Delhi. She worked as the Executive Secretary of the organisation till 1983.

• From 1980 to 1984, she worked as a Consultant at Oxfam in New Delhi.

• In 1983, she founded the Society for Rural, Urban, and Tribal Initiatives (SRUTI) in New Delhi. She served as its Executive Director till 1985.

• She then founded Nagarik Ekta Manch (NEM) in 1984 and served as its Secretary till 1985.

• She served as Chairperson of the Harvard-MIT Women in Development Group from 1987 to 1988 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.

• In 1986, she began working as a Program Director at the Coolidge Centre for Environmental Leadership (full-time) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. She served in the position till 19991.

• In 1992, she started working as a Visiting Faculty at New Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. She served in the position for less than a year.

• That same year, she served as Visiting Professor and Packard Fellow in Peace and Global Studies at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, United States.

• From 1993 to 1994, she served as an Advisor to the Representative at UNDP in India.

• She worked as the India Country Director at the MacArthur Foundation from 1995 to 2010 in New Delhi. There, she handled the Foundation’s grants in India.

• In May 2002, she received the Art and Practice of Leadership Education certification from Harvard University.

• In 2008, she started a television program titled Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon (MKBKSH – I, A Woman, Can Achieve Anything). This program became known for its change-making plan.

• It was aired for three successful seasons with 183 episodes on BBC HD and BBC One. The program reached more than 150 million television viewers overall.
  

  The poster of the television series Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon (MKBKSH – I, A Woman, Can Achieve Anything)

• In September 2010, she began working as the Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India (full-time) in New Delhi.

• She serves as a member of the National Commission on Population, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of India.

• She works on the Core Group on Partnership and Networking on Sex Selective Abortions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. She is responsible for designing a national strategy for advocacy on this issue.

• She serves as a member of the Advisory Group for Community Action, National Rural Health Mission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi.

• She is a part of the Program Advisory Committee, National Population Stabilisation Fund, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi.

  

  Poonam Muttreja during a debate for a television news channel

• She serves as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on the Sample Registration System (SRS), constituted by the Registrar General, India.

• She serves as a member of the National Inspection and Monitoring Committee (NIMC), which is formed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (PNDT section).

• She is a member of the Advisory Panel, Policy Unit on Health, Nutrition and Population Development, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW), New Delhi.

• During her period in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she led an environmental program that helped policymakers from developing countries. It focused on development, environment, and poverty issues.