Dr. Rao was one of the first trustees of CAG. He served as the first Chairman of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and as the Director General of National Council of Applied Economic Research and also worked with the Institute of Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.
Dr. Nataraj was one of the first trustees of CAG. She worked within editorial and reporting capacities with Gemini News Service, International Press Service and the Indian Express group. Later, she worked as the Director, South India AIDS Action Programme.
Ms. Badar Sayeed is a senior advocate, legislator, and activist from Chennai known for her pioneering work in women's rights, minority welfare, and legal reform. She began her journey in public leadership in the 1960s and went on to become the first woman to chair the Tamil Nadu Wakf Board and the Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission. Throughout her 38-year legal career, she has championed causes for bonded laborers, victims of violence, and prisoners’ rights. She founded the NGO ROSHNI, focusing on women’s education and empowerment. Ms. Sayeed also served as Additional Advocate General of Tamil Nadu and was elected MLA for Triplicane in 2006. She is respected for initiating key legal challenges, such as a PIL against triple talaq practices at the Madras High Court. Her enduring commitment and close association with civic groups like CAG underscore her vital role in advancing social justice in Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Panikar was a former Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. He also served as Chairman of TIDCO. He retired as the Chairman of the State Planning Commission.
Mr. C .V. Narasimhan joined the Indian Police Service in 1948. His service included senior posts in Tamil Nadu state police and later under the central government. It included the posts of Joint Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, and Member Secretary of the National Police Commission. He retired in 1983 as Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu. His activities after retirement chiefly concerned educational programs for school children.
Ms. Rao was the first Executive Director of CAG and was instrumental in several of its initial initiatives. For many years, Ms. Rao single handedly guided CAG and made it a professional organization. She also helped in setting up CCC – a national coalition of consumer organisations – headquartered at Delhi.
FOCUS is CAG’s climate literacy textbook created to help young learners understand their planet, the science behind climate, and the challenges we face today. With colourful illustrations, simple explanations, fun activities, and real-life examples, it turns big climate ideas into something children can easily relate to and enjoy. FOCUS helps children grow into informed, confident, and caring climate citizens. Together, we’re inspiring a new generation of climate warriors: aware, empowered, and ready to protect our planet.
Consumer Protection is one of CAG's core areas of work and as part of our efforts to educate and inform consumers on various consumer issues and related happenings, including our own activities, we publish "Consumer Update", a bi-monthly e-newsletter.
Climate change is increasingly affecting farming across India, disrupting crop cycles, reducing water availability, and putting pressure on rural livelihoods. States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Bihar face different climate risks, making it essential to promote solutions that are locally grounded and farmer-driven.
CAG, in collaboration with ASAR, the Alliance for Climate Resilient Agriculture (ACRA) brings together farmer groups, civil society organisations, research bodies, FPOs and local governments to strengthen climate resilience through agroecology. The initiative aims to create a shared platform for learning, field-level innovation and policy engagement, ensuring that communities are better prepared for climate impacts and able to adopt sustainable practices that support long-term food and livelihood security.
Farmers across India are facing increasing challenges due to climate change. Frequent floods and droughts, unpredictable rainfall, heatwaves, soil decline and falling groundwater levels are making agriculture more difficult each year. In 2024, extreme weather affected over 3.2 million hectares of crops, showing how urgent the situation has become.
Each state is affected differently.
Although many organisations are working on agroecology and climate-adaptive farming on the ground, there is no common platform for these efforts to come together, share lessons or jointly influence policy.
The Alliance for Climate Resilient Agriculture (ACRA) has been formed to address this gap. It brings together farmer groups, NGOs, civil society organisations, research bodies, FPOs and local governments from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Bihar. The aim is to support farmer-led, inclusive and locally suitable solutions for climate-resilient agriculture, rooted in agroecological principles.
Mr. Roy, an expert in fisheries, served as a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in its Bay of Bengal Project.