After starting my career at Deloitte, I transitioned into the development sector by joining the Government of India as a Young Professional at the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. This role allowed me to draft, analyse, and refine policy notes under tight deadlines, giving me a steep learning curve and exposing me to systemic thinking. I witnessed how interventions are designed, how departments coordinate and align, and how policy decisions impact millions across India. Working at government scale highlighted the importance of strategic coordination among ministries, state departments, NGOs, experts, and officials to tackle macro- and microeconomic challenges, such as youth employment, early childhood interventions, and sustainable rural development.
One of the most formative experiences was contributing to the design of the National Health Protection Scheme (later PM-JAY), targeting nearly 100 million people. The scale of this initiative reshaped my understanding of what it means to implement programmes effectively at a national level. Extensive discussions with ministries, economists, clinicians, and programme specialists reinforced the importance of grounding interventions in reliable data, minimizing exclusion errors, and ensuring schemes are adaptable to diverse contexts. Mentorship from senior officers was invaluable, providing guidance drawn from years of institutional knowledge.
I also learned the critical importance of fieldwork early in my career. Observing the challenges faced by youth, women, healthcare workers, and rural communities revealed insights that structured reports often miss, such as informal hierarchies, cultural norms, and subtle negotiations that shape behaviour. Field visits allowed me to understand the real-world barriers to interventions like youth employment programmes, healthcare initiatives, and clean energy adoption, and to design solutions that were both sustainable and scalable. The experience of fieldwork also tested my resilience, patience, and adaptability, reinforcing the personal growth that comes from immersive engagement.
A fourth key lesson is the importance of saying yes to opportunities, even when they feel daunting or outside your comfort zone. Early in my career, taking on tasks and thematic areas I knew little about, participating in long field visits, and learning new evaluation frameworks helped me build resilience, leadership skills, and professional expertise. Saying yes enabled me to explore, experiment, and grow in ways that shaped my career trajectory and areas of specialization.
Finally, I have learned that no one achieves success alone. My career has been shaped by mentors, colleagues, partners, and community members who provided guidance, challenged my assumptions, and shared their perspectives. Their support, combined with the trust and collaboration of the communities I worked with, has been foundational to my professional and personal growth. These lessons continue to guide my work in the development sector, emphasizing the value of collaboration, humility, and persistent learning.
