Team

Yamini Aiyar, Director

Yamini Aiyar is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research and the Director of this initiative. Yamini Aiyar has extensive experience working on issues related to strengthening public service delivery systems by institutionalizing accountability mechanisms through greater citizen participation. Her work emphasizes action research to try and better understand the effectiveness of accountability tools. Prior to the Accountability Initiative, Yamini has worked at the World Bank, New Delhi Office and the Ford Foundation, New Delhi. Yamini has an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and received an M.A. degree in Social and Political Sciences at St. Edmund's College, Cambridge University, UK. She also holds a BA degree in Philosophy from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University.

Avani Kapur, Senior Research & Program Analyst

Avani Kapur is the lead Coordinator of the Accountability Initiatives PAISA project - looking at increasing transparency and accountability in social sector expenditures. At AI, she has been involved in the conceptualisation and design of the PAISA project and is responsible for coordinating the project’s activities across various stakeholders.  Prior to this she worked at the Centre for Development and Human Rights (CDHR), with Dr. Arjun Sengupta where she was working on issues related to human rights, extreme poverty and the right to development.

Avani has an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and received a BA cum laude from Smith College, Massachusetts, USA.

Sruti Bandyopadhyay, Research Analyst

Sruti leads the development and application of the data tracking mechanism tool, as part of Accountability Initiatives PAISA project. Prior to the Accountability Initiative, she worked at Capital IQ, (a subsidiary of Standard and Poor), Gurgaon on issues related to Financial Economics. Sruti has an MA in International Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her areas of interest include Economics of Development, Financial Economics.

Mandakini Devasher Surie, Research Analyst

Mandakini leads the Accountability Initiative’s research and advocacy work on the right to information. In addition, she anchors AI’s communication and knowledge management initiatives. Mandakini has previously worked with UNDP, New Delhi and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), New Delhi. At CHRI, her work involved promoting and advocating for the right to information across Commonwealth countries with a special focus on South Asia. A graduate from Lady Shri Ram College, Mandakini has an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Masters degree in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Gayatri Sahgal, Research Analyst

Gayatri is working on the PAISA project which is looking at tracking social sector expenditure. Prior to this, Gayatri worked as a research associate at the Centre for Equity Studies, an NGO headed by Harsh Mander. As part of her activities at CES she was responsible for coordinating and leading a research study on social protection for migrants from the unorganized sector. A graduate from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, she has completed her post graduation from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.