CPR CEO Yamini Aiyar quits two months after govt annuls FCRA permit

Yamini Aiyar, the CEO of Centre for Policy Research, will step down from her current role on March 31. Dr Srinivas Chokkakula, a senior fellow at the think tank, will succeed Aiyar

Centre for Policy Research organisation's CEO and President, Yamini Aiyar, will step down from her current role as of March 31 "to devote more time to her research interests," an official statement said on Tuesday. 

Aiyar has been at the helm of the not-for-profit organisation since September 2017. She is the daughter of veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar.

"The Board expresses its appreciation for her excellent and significant contribution to CPR's tradition of engaged multidisciplinary scholarship and for the energy, commitment, and sense of purpose she brought to her role during her tenure. We wish her the very best in her future endeavours," the board announcement said.
"An absolute privilege to have lead and fought for this remarkable institution. CPR's fierce intellectual independence and democratic spirit have enriched me enormously. Delighted that CPR leadership will now be in the very capable hands of my wonderful colleague Srinivas," she reacted to the announcement on 'X' (formerly Twitter).

Centre cancels FCRA permit

Aiyar's exit came about two months after the Centre cancelled the funding licence of the think tank on January 17, suspecting violation of India's foreign contribution regulation act (FCRA). The licence is needed to obtain international funding.

The licence cancellation followed nearly a year after it had already been suspended since February 2023 for allegedly using the funds for "undesirable purposes."

In response, the organisation had said that it was in "complete compliance" with the law and will seek remedy in every way possible.

"The basis of this decision is incomprehensible and disproportionate, and some of the reasons given challenge the very basis of the functioning of a research institution," Aiyar had said in a statement.

Dr Srinivas Chokkakula new CEO

The statement further read that Aiyar will be succeeded by Dr Srinivas Chokkakula, a senior fellow at the think tank and Ministry of Jal Shakti Research Chair. He will step into the role effective April 1.

Dr Chokkakula is a political geographer, engineer, and town planner and currently leads the TREADS (Transboundary Rivers, Ecologies and Development Studies) initiative at CPR, the organisation said.

Who is Dr Srinivas Chokkakula?

He has been with CPR since 2010. "Srinivas has worked with SRISTI and Ahmedabad's celebrated Honey-Bee Grassroots Innovation Network. He played a key role with the Environmental Planning Collaborative, Ahmedabad, in the reconstruction of Kachchh after the earthquake of 2001. He has been a Chevening Scholar, a postdoctoral fellow at SOAS University of London, and a Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Chair at the School of Public Policy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst," it said.